


Dance With Me

by Lehmohn



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged up characters, Depression, High School AU, M/M, Modern AU, Multi, No beta :/, The Gaang - Freeform, Trauma, Zukaang - Freeform, child abuse mentions, yeah zuko is in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25327144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lehmohn/pseuds/Lehmohn
Summary: Modern high school AU“I want you all to consider entering in this bending contest. A team of two is to come up with a routine that shows how different, and similar, their bending style is. So, obviously, your partner has to be of a different element. The contestants will be judged in the beginning of the upcoming year and the winners get fifty thousand dollars to split between the two of them. It’s being sponsored by the company Lord. The owner, Ozai, will be there to watch so try not to take this lightly. That’s all. See you all on Monday.”Zuko sees a chance to redeem himself to his father. Aang is smitten with him. Will they be able to combine fire and wind without getting burned?Rating will go up later on
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar), Haru/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! I had an idea I couldn’t stop thinking about so here we are! Another High school AU just for you. I went ahead and posted chapter one along with the prologue because the prologue is so short🤷♀️ Lmk what you think!

Prologue

Life seemed dim underneath the light of a single road lamp. It was a nice summer night. A night that should be spent gallivanting with friends, practicing bending or even just getting ice cream. Not a night to be kicked out of your childhood home.

Zuko growled angrily, eyes still glistening with the tears his father ignored. The backpack on his shoulders felt too light to contain all of his belongings, yet that’s exactly what it held. Not sure where else to go, he began the short trek to his Uncle’s home.

It was humiliating how much he fretted over Zuko when he appeared on his doorstep, but it was nice to feel welcomed somewhere. He wasn’t asked any questions until his stomach was full and he had a glass of chamomile tea in his hands.

Iroh looked at his nephew pensively, careful not to let pity seep its way into his eyes. “What happened?”

“Did anything even really need to happen?” Zuko said aggressively. “This was a long time coming.” Disgust graced his belly when he caught the reflection of himself in an open window.

“If you do not wish to speak about it, I won’t pry,” Iroh sipped his tea, “Just know that you may stay here for as long as you like.”

Zuko took a moment to look around. It was familiar yet unknown. Most of the times he had seen his Uncle, it was at his tea shop. But this was his home. Where he slept and ate and did all of the things Zuko never really thought about his Uncle doing because he had always seemed like such an enigma. The furniture was short and wooden; the lights were yellow and soft. The walls held numerous pictures of their family. Some even had evidence that it was in fact possible for his father to smile without an evil undertone. It felt lived in. Unlike the immaculate state of his own house.

Zuko looked down into his cup, still unable to make eye contact. “Thank you.”

“Any time, my nephew. Please, rest. We will speak more in the morning.”

With that, Iroh showed him to the spare room. The bed looked big and plump. There was also a dresser and night table, but it was otherwise bare. Iroh insisted that he try to make it feel more personal as he lived there, but Zuko doubted he had enough personality to decorate with. 

They said goodnight and as his door clicked shut behind his Uncle, he felt his eyes begin to sting once again. Unable to bear another crying fit, he chucked his clothes to the floor, buried himself into his blankets and willed himself to sleep.

After a night of dreamless slumber, Zuko quietly sat at the kitchen table while Iroh cooked breakfast. Surprisingly, he hadn’t slept as awful as he thought he would. Or, as awful as he usually did.

“So. Feeling a little better today?” Iroh asked as he set a plate of breakfast in front of his nephew.

Zuko only nodded, not hesitating to dig in.

Iroh sat across from him, sipping tea as he had his own breakfast much earlier in the morning. “You cut your hair,” he said.

That’s when Zuko realized how long it had been since he’d last seen his Uncle. Not since the day he had to face his father in an agni-kai. He had been dangerously close to being thrown out after Ozai burned him badly. That was three years ago. Seeing how close he and Iroh had gotten after the death of his son, Lu Ten, Zuko’s father had forbidden him from seeing his Uncle as punishment. He had felt lucky then. Now, he felt like an idiot.

“Yes,” Zuko mumbled, but provided no other information.

Iroh sighed. “I’ve been thinking. Since your summer break has only just started, I would like you to come work at the Jasmine Dragon.”

Zuko sneered, ready to make his angry opinion known, but was stopped by his Uncle continuing to speak.

“Not only would I pay you, but I would also love to give you firebending lessons,” he said calmly. “That is, if you would like.”

That was an offer too difficult to refuse. The anger within him dissipated, leaving behind shame. Shame at how he allowed himself to act only with anger and negative energy. Two things his Uncle did his best to live without. A small part of him really hoped that quality would rub off on him.

“I would like that a lot, actually,” he said.

Every morning after that, Zuko was outside with Iroh. Before the sun rose, or as the sun rose, Iroh would teach him more and more about himself and his bending. As the sun fell, they would walk home from the tea shop together. It was a much needed routine in Zuko’s life and he tried hard not to take it for granted.

Sometimes, when he had to walk home alone, his sister, Azula, would be waiting for him. Her presence always made the fire inside him burn uncontrollably. It was hard not to lash out as she followed him home, talking and snapping and tormenting him. Until, one day he did. 

Azula laughed as she walked away from Zuko, Iroh’s beloved flower bed up in flames. He quickly put the fire out, the hose barely putting out enough water to keep it from spreading to the house. 

When Iroh finally returned that night, he found Zuko sitting next to the ashes of what was once his most prized possession. The boy was nearly inconsolable.

“I’m so sorry, Uncle, it was an accident! I—I— Azula was here and she kept pestering me and she makes me so angry, I just lost control. And of course, that completely goes against everything you’ve been teaching me because I’m such a failure. I—.”

Iroh hugged his nephew fiercely, cradling him against his chest as Zuko desperately tried to get away. He yelled of being undeserving and incompetent before Iroh snapped at him.

“Zuko, that’s enough!” He said, still holding him tightly. “It’s okay, they’re just flowers. We can replant them together! There is no need to panic.”

“But I ruined them! I ruin everything,” Zuko spat.

Iroh simply sighed and continued to hold him as he sobbed. There was no point in trying to reason with him in such a state.

Once Zuko was able to regulate his breathing, Iroh pushed him back and held his face in his hands. “You are not a failure. I don’t ever want to hear that from you.”

Zuko sniffled and nodded his head.

After that incident, Iroh never let Zuko walk home without him.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Uncle. I’m not... I feel like my chest is swollen.”

Zuko stood in the doorway of the kitchen. His Uncle looked up at him from where he was reading the morning newspaper at the small dining room table.

“You’re just anxious, Zuko. Come have some calming tea before you have to leave,” he said, patting the seat next to him.

When Zuko huffed, a bit of fire came from his nose, but he swallowed and sat down. He let his Uncle pour a cup for him.

“There is no shame in having to repeat a grade, my nephew, but you cannot keep running away. You must attend. If you have anything that’s troubling you, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask. I am here for you,” he said. He laid a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “And please. Try to make some friends.”

Zuko took a moment to breath in. He felt the air expand his chest, felt it burn as he held it and softly let it go. A faint smile appeared on his face as he earnestly looked into Iroh’s eyes. 

“Thank you, Uncle.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just building friendships :)

Chapter 1

The wind shuffled his hair as he walked along the road. Anxiety still burned in his chest even after his talk with Iroh. Somewhere deep down, Zuko knew he was right, but a much more accessible feeling sat on the surface and it gripped him in fear. He spent the whole summer avoiding people he knew; there was no doubt that his sister let loose the rumor that he’d been kicked out. The only saving grace he had was that Azula went to a different school. 

After middle school, Ozai had taken a look at he and his sister’s grades and decided that Azula would go to a prestige private high school while Zuko attended the nearby public school. He’d been distraught when it happened, but grew to be grateful he wasn’t as twisted as his sister ended up. The extent of her connections was unfathomable and that became apparent every time everyone in his school, which she didn’t even go to, knew something embarrassing about his home life.

When he came up to the school sidewalk, he paused. It looked... exactly the same as he had left it. For some reason, he’d expected something to be different, but seeing it in the same state as before almost... comforted him. He’d spent a lot of the last summer going through changes, and here was this school with what even looked like the same people crowding around the front.

As he walked to the front doors, he could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes burning into his skin. He expected to be noticed, but he hadn’t expected the sheer amount of whispering, glancing and staring. More than anything, he wanted to hightail it out of there and bury himself in his bed, but he promised his Uncle he’d try. So, he kept his head down and powered through the front doors.

Probably the only good thing about his scar was its ability to intimidate. He felt that school would have been much harder to endure if he looked like any other kid. It was to his relief that the school day passed on smoothly. Sure, he didn’t know anyone in his grade anymore, but he liked to think he wasn’t a lost cause. 

He hid in the bathrooms for lunch, not wanting to deal with the stress of having to find a seat. Hopefully by the next day everyone would have somewhere they like to sit and he could find a spot easier. The down side was that leaning against the stall door for an hour had given him a skull splitting headache.

Before going to his next class, Zuko looked at his schedule again and groaned when he realized his last class was bending arts. He sincerely hoped he wouldn’t have to do anything hands-on for his first day. With the headache he had, he was sure to embarrass himself. One problem at a time, Zuko. He thought to himself. First, you have to deal with biology.

Easier said than done. As soon as Zuko picked a spot at one of the lab tables, he burrowed his head into his arms, fully intent on sleeping through the class. He felt a presence at his side and assumed he now had a lab partner. The sun threatening to blind him through the window kept his head down, though.

Five minutes later and the teacher still hadn’t shown. He was on the verge of sleep, but a tap on his shoulder disrupted him. He put a cautious blinder up with his hand as he lifted his head to see who touched him.

It was just the kid who sat next to him. He was beaming at Zuko as if he just told him he won the lottery. The guy’s clothes looked a bit too big on him— a yellow T-shirt with an orange long sleeve under it and tan cargo shorts. The interesting things, though, were his tattoos. Blue arrows spiraled his arms, disappeared under his bunched up sleeves and seemed to reappear on his legs only to dip into his tall socks. It looked like it trailed onto his head too, but the only part not covered by dark hair was the arrow on his forehead. He was tapping his chucks against the horizontal pole at the bottom of his chair, seemingly full of energy.

“Hi! I’m Aang,” he said.

Aang’s voice split through his head like a knife; he was barely able to conceal his cringe. He was so loud. Desperate to end the conversation before it started, he mumbled a “hey” before laying his head back down. Amazingly enough, Aang didn’t pick up on his queue at all and started chattering.

“I’ve been trying to make friends with who I sit by in my classes. This is my first day at school ever! Can you believe it? My friend Sokka said to keep to myself, but why would I do that when there are so many friends I could make? I mean, this place is huge! So many people—“

Zuko couldn’t take it. He looked at Aang with a frown. “Why are you talking to me?”

Aang looked perplexed. “I—W... why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, the scar is usually a pretty good repellent.”

“I don’t care what’s on your face, I just wanted to chat with you.”

“Yeah, well, don’t,” he snapped before retreating to his arms once again.

Aang bit his lip and then seemed to remember something. He reached down into his bag and pulled out a bottle. After dumping a couple pills into his hand, he tapped Zuko again and laid the pills next to his elbow.

Zuko was ready to snap him again until he saw the peace offering. Aspirin. He looked up to Aang, but he was paying attention to the teacher who finally decided to show up. Gratefully, he swallowed the pills dry and tried to get some rest.

It wasn’t until he heard the teacher wrapping up that he finally sat back and paid attention. Thanks to Aang, his head was no longer throbbing. They were given a couple minutes of free time before the bell rang, so Zuko tried to get himself to apologize. He could already hear his Uncle’s voice in his head.

Remember, Zuko. Only people who are not happy with themselves are mean to others. If you wish to better yourself, start with extending a kind hand.

“Hey, uh, Aang was it?” He started softly. Aang stopped packing up to look over at Zuko, but Zuko hesitated when he met big, kind grey eyes. He swallowed. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I appreciate the aspirin.”

Aang’s big smile came back. “Don’t worry about it. My friend gets headaches, so I’ve usually got some handy.”

Zuko genuinely smiled. “Cool. W—well, not cool that your friend gets headaches, but, um, you know,” he tried to recover his thought, but ultimately abandoned ship. “I’m Zuko.”

“I know—” now it was Aang’s turn to tumble across his words—“I mean, I don’t know, but I’ve—I’ve heard of you,” he said, fiddling with his fingers. He closed his eyes and cringed at his lack of eloquence. “If that’s not weird.”

It bothered Zuko that this guy he just met probably heard some distasteful rumors of him, but what should he expect? “No, not weird. I seem to be a popular subject around here.”

“Why’s that?”

Zuko shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Aang laughed. “Probably because of how cool looking you are. You could kick some real A right?”

Zuko blushed, not used to such a straight forward compliment. “I guess so.”

“Awesome,” Aang said. He bit his lip and then asked, “What’s your next class?”

“Bending arts.”

“Oh! What room?”

“Two oh three B.”

“Me too! We can walk there together if you want?”

Zuko was at a loss with how well he was getting along with Aang. People weren’t usually so friendly and open to him... but he never really gave off a “please come talk to me” vibe either.

“Yeah, sure.”

When the bell finally rang and they got up from their seats, Zuko was surprised to see that Aang was a whole head shorter than him. It was strangely... adorable. The word felt foreign in his head. It brought out a different question. “How old are you?” He said and hoped that wasn’t a weird thing to ask someone you just met.

Aang smiled at him. “I’m sixteen. Seventeen in a week,” he said as they walked through the hallway together. People were staring, but he didn’t seem to care. “I’m having a birthday party at a friend’s house if you wanna come. Saturday around eight.”

The offer was nonchalant, but it brought excitement into Zuko’s belly that he hadn’t felt in a long time. “Really? Are you sure?”

Aang laughed. “Of course I’m sure. I’ve made so many new friends today, It’s gonna be a pretty big party if everyone turns up!”

The excitement deflated. Big parties were not a good scene for him. “Ah, I’ll see if I can make it.”

“Cool beans!”

They found their classroom in the gymnasium next to the gym teachers’ office. They were two of the first people in there, so they took seats in the back corner.

“So, do you have any idea what this class is supposed to be about? I’ve never heard of bending arts,” Aang asked. He pulled his legs up to his chest and leaned against the wall.

Zuko couldn’t help but notice how much smaller he looked in that position. “It’s supposed to be an all-element class where we learn about each other’s abilities, but mostly it just turns into who can win the most battles by the end of the semester.”

“Sounds pretty fun.”

“It’s alright,” Zuko said. He pushed himself to keep the conversation going. “You mentioned that today was your first day, right? Ever?”

“Yeah, I’m usually homeschooled by the monks at the monastery downtown. It took a lot of time, but I finally got them to let me try public school. I’m already an airbending master, so might as well let me go to school for the rest.”

“So, you’re a monk then?” Zuko asked.

Aang’s nose scrunched as he thought. “I mean, technically, yeah, but these guys are pretty old school. Over time, a lot of our traditions have loosened up. Like, shaving your head or wearing robes. Gyatso lets me get away with it because I’m so young, but by senior year, he expects me to choose my path.” He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll see I guess.”

Zuko hummed, attention grabbed by their teacher. The class went by fast. She was the type to just talk and hand out a syllabus for the first day.

Aang and Zuko walked out of the school together, but Aang was quickly called over by his group of friends. 

“I’ll see you later, Zuko!” He said as he waved and jogged backwards. His friends’ faces looked bewildered to see Aang talking to him.

“I’ll see you...” Zuko said, feeling goosebumps under the suspicious glare of a tall brunette girl.

“Looks like someone had a nice day after all! I haven’t seen you smile like that since you were little.”

Zuko’s face flushed as he put his backpack behind the counter at the Jasmine Dragon. “Uncle,” he mumbled. “Not now, there’s too many people here.”

Multiple eyes were on uncle and nephew, but quickly turned away when they were noticed.

Iroh smiled at him. “I’m just so glad you made a friend.”

Confusion gripped Zuko. How did he know?

“I’m not a mind reader,” Iroh said, laughter touching his words, “But I can always read the happiness one radiates after meeting someone pleasant.”

Zuko let the corners of his mouth quirk up. “Let’s just make some tea.”

“As long as you don’t have homework!”

Zuko woke before the sun the next morning. Dressed in only a pair of shorts, he waited in the backyard for his Uncle to appear. Morning lessons were always something for him to look forward to. Not only because he was getting better with bending, but because he enjoyed spending the time with Iroh. 

When they first started their routine, Zuko was harsh most of the time. He snapped and back talked. His kicks and punches took almost all of the energy that was supposed to be in the fire that flowed through him. After practices, he would shut himself in his room until it was time to work at the tea shop. But, Iroh never yelled at him. Never rose his voice. Never told him to give up. That was more than anything he could ask for.

Zuko could feel the progress in his muscles. He could feel it in his bending. Most importantly, he could feel it in his mind. Every move he made was calculated and intentional. Not every slip up made him want to give up for the day. The pieces of constructive criticism Uncle would give him as he ran through katas no longer hit him personally. It was refreshing to feel so... normal.

“Zuko!” Iroh said as he walked out on his back porch. He was pointing over the fence. “Come look at how beautiful this sunrise is.”

Zuko made his way to the porch to look out into the horizon. The sun was only peeking out of the trees, but the sky was already a painting of reds, oranges and pinks. He felt a twinge of sadness in his throat.

“I used to drink tea with Lu Ten and watch sunrises,” Iroh said, his glossy eyes reflecting the faint light. “We would exchange stories and many laughs...”

Zuko looked to him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

Iroh smiled. “It is truly a blessing that I get to experience them with you now.”

Zuko smiled and placed a hand on top of his uncle’s. It wasn’t often that he talked about his son. There were many pictures on the walls, but it still gave his Uncle great pain to speak about. He had died when Zuko was a child, so he cherished anything Iroh told about him.

Iroh closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “Do you feel it? The sunrise? The energy slowly creeps into your body.”

Zuko let his hand down and closed his eyes. It was a very small warmth at the edge of his skin, but he could feel it crawl up his shoulders and across his torso. It seeped into his very core and held it with care.

That was all they did that morning. Side by side, yet in separate worlds of memory and sensory.

Lunch box in hand, Zuko stepped into the lunch room for the first time. There was barely anywhere to sit. Ice dripped down his spine, telling him to brave the bathroom again, but a waving hand caught his attention. It was Aang, smiling as bright as ever. Zuko looked left, right and behind to make sure it was really him he was waving at. When he looked back to Aang, the boy pointed at him and then pointed at the seat in front of him. He was generating a lot of attention, so Zuko bowed his head as he made his way over to the table. 

“I didn’t know you had the same lunch as me!” Aang said, moving his lunch box so Zuko could put his down. Not giving him a chance to respond, Aang pointed at the girl next to him. “This is Toph, one of my friends. Toph, this is Zuko.”

Zuko looked to the girl, but she continued to stare straight ahead. Faintly, he could remember seeing her in the halls in the past few years. Her hair covered most of her face, but he still caught a glimpse of her milky eyes. She was blind. “Hey. Nice to meet you,” he said.

Toph smirked. “Nice to meet you, too. Any friend of twinkle toes here is a friend of mine!”

“Toph!” Aang almost choked, “I told you not to call me that at school!”

“Names are names.”

“That’s not even my name!”

Aang looked to Zuko with embarrassment gripping his face.

“So… you know each other outside of school?” Zuko asked. 

“Sadly,” Aang said pointedly. Toph just laughed. “My other two friends, Sokka and Katara, are my neighbors. They would bring Toph home after school often, so I got to know her pretty well.”

Zuko nodded. “That’s cool.”

They ate in silence for a moment. It was awkward. 

“So, Zuko. There’s rumors around that you got kicked out of your home. Is that true?” Toph asked.

Zuko looked up from his sandwich, eyes wide and alarmed.

Aang groaned and slapped a hand to his face. “You can’t just ask something like that!”

“It’s okay,” Zuko said softly. Dread made home in his throat, but he swallowed it down. Head bowed, he said, “I did get kicked out. I live with my Uncle now, though, so I’m happier.”

Aang bit his lip, obviously trying to decide on what to say.

“Sounds like you didn’t have a great home life, anyway,” Toph said. “I’m glad you got out.” 

Zuko observed her for a moment, noticing things he hadn’t before. The way her ears moved when something was loud, the all knowing smirk on her face... even the fact that Zuko had never seen her need help in any way. He found himself beginning to smile at Toph even though she wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Thanks,” Zuko said. 

Aang let out a quiet sigh of relief.

On their way to biology, Aang chattered aimlessly.

“So there’s this super awesome skateboard I’ve been dying to get, but it’s way too expensive for me to ask the monks for,” he had said, pouting a bit. 

“Even for your birthday?” Zuko asked.

“Yeah... I’d feel too bad.”

“I could help you,” Zuko said before realizing it. Aang looked up at him expectantly. “I—I mean, I work at a tea shop with my Uncle. We could always use a few extra hands. He pays well.”

“Will I get to work with you?” Aang said. He fixed Zuko with a look in his eye that made him blush.

“Don’t act so excited about it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be excited? That’s awesome! Do I need to interview? What do I wear?” Question after question poured out of the tattooed boy’s mouth as he danced around Zuko. 

Zuko couldn’t keep up. He laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to slow him down, but as soon as his hand made contact with the cloth of his jacket, Aang tensed up. He turned to face Zuko, looking up into his eyes with a touch of red on his cheeks. Suddenly, Zuko noticed how close they were standing to each other. 

“Um, sorry,” he said, removing his hand and taking a step back. “You can just come there with me after school if you want.” He scolded himself in his head for making Aang uncomfortable.

Aang fidgeted with a string from his sweater, looking anywhere but at Zuko’s face. His cheeks were still rosy. “Yeah, that’d— that’d be great, actually! Uh, wow, look at the time,” he said, looking at his bare wrist, “We better get in there.” Aang turned and dived into the classroom, making a beeline for their desk.

They still had ten minutes until the bell was supposed to ring. Aang returned back to normal once Zuko took his seat next to him, so he decided not to worry about it.

Iroh was extremely pleased to see that his nephew had brought a friend to meet him. Zuko expected him to be enthusiastic, but the old man was being downright embarrassing. He hid behind his hand as his Uncle talked Aang’s ear off with stories and jokes. Aang didn’t seem to mind at all, but Zuko was ready to ditch them and go home.

It was very quiet at the shop that night. The three of them sat at one of their larger tables and talked. 

“Uncle, I brought Aang here because he needs a job,” Zuko mumbled when Iroh had finished a particularly long story.

Aang smiled at the old man bashfully. “It’s true.”

“Oh,” Iroh said. “I would love to have such a fine gentleman here at my shop! When could you start?”

Zuko and Aang looked at each other for a moment. Zuko shrugged a shoulder at him.

“I think Sunday would be a good day to start,” Aang said.

“Splendid! Come with me to the back real quick and I’ll get an apron that fits you.”

They disappeared behind the counter. Zuko slumped in his seat with an arm over his eyes. He loved his Uncle more than anything, but sometimes he was downright tiring. Perhaps he should be grateful that he didn’t bring Aang to the house. Iroh would have insisted on him staying for dinner.

When they returned, Aang had an apron hung on his arm and a smile on his face. “I should probably get going now, but thanks for your help, Zuko. And thank you for hiring me, Iroh. I can’t wait to start.”

“It’s not a problem. I will see you on Sunday. We will make some great tea together!”

Aang laughed a little, but as he turned to leave, his smiling eyes lingered on Zuko before he went through the front doors.

If Zuko’s heart beat a little harder, he refused to acknowledge it.

There were two sides to having a friend Zuko hoped he could keep in check. On one hand, it felt incredible to have someone to talk to and laugh with. On the other... he hoped he wouldn’t get too attached. Sometimes he could be too overbearing. Too eager to please.

In his past, he was downright cruel. Quick to judge and quick to shun. When he thought about it, he always felt like he was undeserving of friendship. Any prospective friends he may have gained were treated horribly until they decided to leave Zuko in his own hole of self pity. Not this time, though. Now, he wanted to try.

“Hey, Zuko!” A voice yelled from behind him.

Zuko turned around quickly, surprised someone was trying to catch up with him. To his relief, it was Aang. He was… skateboarding? It almost looked like he was flying with the way he used his airbending to go faster. He slowed when he got close to Zuko. Pulling his earbuds out, he kicked his board into his hands.

“What’s up!” He said.

Zuko smirked at him. “Where’s your helmet?” He looked down at his skateboard and instantly understood why he wanted a new one. It was scratched, chipped and even had paint blotched all over it. 

“Don’t need a helmet if you never fall down,” Aang said, tapping the side of his head. He started walking by Zuko’s side. “You walk to school, too?”

“Yeah. Might as well. It’s not too far.”

Aang nodded, but seemed to have something else on his mind. He kept glancing up at Zuko, almost as if he expected him to vanish at any moment. “Uh... so...” he began lamely, but didn’t finish.

Zuko frowned. This was a weird time for Aang to suddenly grow intimidated by him. “So...?” He said as nicely as possible.

“So, I was wondering if, I don’t know, maybe we could—and it’s totally fine if you don’t want to— but we could exchange numbers?” Aang said quickly. His face had a soft red hue to it as he took out his phone and waved it.

Zuko felt his own face heat up. Exchanging numbers was a totally normal thing to do between friends, but... something about texting Aang in the late hours of the night brought a butterfly to his chest. 

“Uh, sure,” he said, fishing for his own phone.

They switched to type in their info then switched again. Zuko smiled at the heart emoji Aang had put after his name. 

“You can text me any time! I’m pretty accessible,” Aang said. He walked with his skateboard behind his back.

Zuko noticed what he was wearing and bit back a laugh. The jacket was huge and bright orange. It hung on the edge of his shoulders and reached his mid-thigh. The same high top chucks he wore on the day he met him were scratching against the ground as he walked, but his shorts were... short. They were barely showing underneath the black Katy Perry T-shirt.

Aang noticed him staring. “What? What are you looking at?” He said as he wiped at his face with his sleeve. “There’s something on my face isn’t there.”

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Zuko let out a real tear jerking laugh. He held his stomach as he rode it out, only going deeper when Aang’s face blushed again. The shorter boy stood there bewildered, but eventually started to smile, too.

When Zuko calmed down, he fixed Aang with an admiring gaze. “You’re something else,” he said.

Aang smiled down at his shoes, bottom lip between his teeth.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

_Calm down, Zuko, you’ll be fine._ He thought, _it’s just bending. Not a big deal._

It was, in fact, a huge deal. Zuko couldn’t even remember the last time he had firebended with an audience. He could barely remember the last time he firebended without his uncle around! Yet, he dutifully stood in line awaiting his turn for evaluation.

Their bending arts teacher, or, as she expected them to call her, Coach, had finally gotten them into the gym for some real action. He could see Aang across the room loosing his mind at how cool it was to watch other elements bend. Aang cheered and whooped for his classmates. Coach had shushed him multiple times, but realized it wasn’t going to work.

Zuko watched the guy in front of him walk out into the middle of the room and panicked. _Shit shit shit, I’m next!_ The pressure was getting to him. Gurgling stomach and all. He saw Aang give him a thumbs up and it only made it worse.

Aang had been one of the first kids to demonstrate their skills and, of course, he was amazing. Zuko had never seen anything like it. His form was perfect, he nailed his katas and he didn’t even sweat. How the hell was Zuko supposed to let Aang see him bend when he could do _that_!

Apparently, he had no choice in the matter. Heart pounding, he made his way to the middle of the gymnasium. Coach told him to only demonstrate what he was comfortable with, so he started with the first thing Iroh taught him. Breathing.

Taking slow and easy breaths, he moved through the katas that his uncle taught him. The crowd was starting to get to him already, so he closed his eyes and pretended he was in his backyard. There was a tremble in his thigh, but he kept moving. Fire bursted from his hands and feet in controlled portions. Sweat dripped from his forehead by the time he was finished.

Still tucked in his ending move, Zuko found the silent gym to be incredibly unnerving. After what seemed to be the initial shock wore off, Aang jumped up and down like a maniac, waving and clapping his hands.

“Woo Zuko! That was awesome! What an amazing guy! Woot woot woot!” He yelled.

Zuko would rather be anywhere else.

Everyone sat in the middle of the room at the end of the class. Coach stood right above Aang and Zuko as she talked.

“Great job today, class. It was a real treat getting to see where you all stand with your bending. Some of you are well above proficient and some are, well, some of you aren’t. But that’s what this class is for! Improvement! We will learn about ourselves first, and then we’ll learn about each other. The only way to truly grasp understanding of your own element is to understand how it reacts to others.” She pulled out a flier that she had rolled up in her back pocket. Unfolding it, she showed it off.

“I want you all to consider entering in this bending contest. A team of two is to come up with a routine that shows how different, and similar, their bending style is. So, obviously, your partner has to be of a different element. The contestants will be judged in the beginning of the upcoming year and the winners get fifty thousand dollars to split between the two of them. It’s being sponsored by the company Lord. The owner, Ozai, will be there to watch so try not to take this lightly. That’s all. See you all on Monday.”

Zuko sat for a moment, letting that information sink in. Why would Ozai, his father, want to sponsor a contest like that? Lord was a powerful company responsible for overseeing urban development. They had nothing to do with bending. Zuko would know. He would have inherited it if he hadn’t been kicked out.

But... his father would be there to watch. If he could practice, give it his all and win... would Ozai take him back? Could he prove that he could be worth something as a son?

“Who would want to participate in a contest sponsored by those jerks? The monks and I have been fighting their constant efforts to tear down our temple for the last three years!” Aang said while pulling himself to his feet.

Zuko looked at him with wide eyes. “What? Really?”

“Yeah! They want to build some kind of super mall and our temple is in parking lot territory. They haven’t been able to break through yet. They won’t ever if I can help it.” Aang looked down at Zuko. The older boy was staring into space. “C’mon, Zukes. Let’s get cleaned up.”

Zuko snapped out of it when Aang put a hand in front of his face. He grabbed it and pulled himself up.

In the locker room, Zuko pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into his locker. The metal felt cool, so he closed it and laid his back against it for a moment. Across from him, Aang was already pulling on his clothes.

“So, are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow or what?” He asked as he rubbed deodorant under his arms.

Zuko examined the design on the back of Aang’s shirt. It was a portrait of a cat with three eyes. “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it.”

Aang turned around with a smile, but as soon as he saw Zuko, he whipped back around and hid his face. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?” He squeaked.

“I’m just cooling off. I’m a firebender, give me a minute,” Zuko said with a smirk.

A large gust of wind hit him in the face, scattering his hair to the sides. When he opened his eyes, Aang was peeking around his shoulder at him.

“Is that better?”

Zuko huffed. It was actually. “You could just ask me to put a shirt on if it embarrasses you so much.”

“It doesn’t bother me!” He said quickly.

“Alright, I’ll pretend I believe you.” Zuko’s tone was lighthearted. He put his shirt back on quickly and turned to nudge Aang’s head farther into his locker.

“Hey!”

“What are you looking at so intently, my nephew?”

Zuko was sat at the kitchen table with his laptop, his dinner still sitting half eaten.

“I’m just trying to figure out where to buy a skateboard,” he said into the hand he was leaning on.

“A skateboard? I didn’t know you skated.”

Zuko’s face flushed a bit and his brow furrowed. “I don’t. It’s for a friend.”

Iroh walked around to look at his computer screen. “My... that’s quite expensive for a friend. Is it Aang?”

“Yes. He really wants it.”

“Did he ask you to get it for him?”

Zuko looked at him. “... No, but he’s having a birthday party tomorrow and I want to get him something he’ll like.”

“That’s the only reason?” Iroh smirked at him over his cup of ginseng.

Zuko squinted his eyes. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Light laughter tickling his words, he slowly strode back over to the sink and leaned on it. “Oh... no reason.”

Zuko frowned, but decided to ask him something else that was on his mind. He tapped his pen on the table nervously. “So, Lord is sponsoring a bending contest. Why do you think that might be?”

Iroh hummed and scratched his beard. “It’s probably just a publicity stunt. If the people see them supporting causes like bending, perhaps they would be more inclined to let them build on more land to expand the city.” He sipped his tea loudly. “Their latest projects have been futile thanks to protestors.”

“... My father will be there during judging. To observe,” Zuko said hesitantly.

Iroh waited for him to finish.

“I think I want to enter...”

Zuko explained the rules of the contest while Iroh stood there and alternated between sipping his tea and rubbing his chin. When he finished, his uncle sighed.

“Zuko, I think this could be a great opportunity for you...” he hesitated before saying, “But I don’t want you to get your hopes up about your father.”

There was a tiny thread of hope attached to his father. In the past, when he would reach out and take it, it almost always broke, letting him fall deep into the abyss below. Maybe he was going about it wrong, though. Maybe there were steps he could take to getting on Ozai’s good side. Maybe academics weren’t where he should have been focusing. There were plenty of other ways he could impress him.

After a long pause, Zuko said, “I want to try.”

Uncle looked at him sadly before perking up. “Well, good for you! I’m sure you’ll do amazing. There’s just one problem, though.”

Zuko continued to tap his pen on the table.

“You need a partner.”

The party was in full swing when he arrived. He checked the sloppy address Aang had written on his wrist earlier that day even though the flashing lights and loud music clearly told him this was the place. It was a typical suburban home with beautiful landscaping. Their hydrangea bushes were full grown, reaching above Zuko’s height. He gripped Aang’s nicely wrapped present in his arms before tentatively approaching the door.

Zuko hesitated before knocking. Was he dressed appropriately? Maybe he should have put on something other than the black shirt and black pants he wore every other day. _Stop stalling!_ He told himself.

The door opened almost immediately after he knocked. Zuko recognized the girl from Aang’s group of friends, but he’d never seen her up close before. Truthfully, she was gorgeous. Her soft brown hair fell past her waist. A blue cropped tank top hugged her torso and her baggy pants hung loosely on her hips. She looked at him with a bored expression.

“Aang really did invite everyone, huh?” she said.

Zuko blushed, not sure how to respond to that. He didn’t have to though because Aang dipped under her arm and stepped out on the porch.

“Zuko! You made it,” he said happily, bouncing on his toes in front of him. A tad uncomfortably, he noticed the large box wrapped in brown paper. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

Zuko said, “Of course I did. It’s your birthday.”

Aang smiled up at him shyly.

The girl behind them cleared her throat and Aang immediately jumped to her side. “Zuko, this is Katara. Katara, Zuko.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar,” she said with a huff and retreated back inside.

Zuko felt that familiar ice trickle down his back as he watched the girl disappear into the crowd.

“Sorry, she gets like that sometimes,” Aang said while scratching the back of his head.

“What’s her last name?” Zuko asked softly.

“South.”

_Great_. Zuko thought. _Just great_. This was the girl his sister bullied relentlessly in middle school when her mother died. Zuko never really said much to her, but he never stopped Azula’s tormenting. He would turn a blind eye. Apparently, she never forgave him for that.

“Is everything okay, Zuko?” Aang asked.

Doing his best to keep a smile on his face, he nodded. “Yeah, just fine. Do you have a pile where you keep your presents?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s in the living room. Did you want to—”

“I’m sure I can find it myself,” he said hurriedly as he walked through the door. People were packed in every corner dancing and talking. Before he took off, he looked to Aang’s befuddled face. “I’ll find you in a bit okay? I need to take care of something.”

“Uh, okay...”

He felt bad for leaving Aang like that, but this would be better resolved now than later. Eyes scanning the crowd, he set Aang’s present with the others. Where did she go? A step into the kitchen answered his question. It was quiet. Katara stood at the island decorating a cake.

She glared at him as soon as he walked through the doorway. “What do you want?”

Zuko took a step towards her, but stopped when she took a step back. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner. I can’t take away what my sister did, but I can apologize for myself.”

Katara’s face contorted into one of sadness. “You watched her do those things to me and you never said anything.”

“I was a coward. I was too afraid to stand up to her,” he said, inching closer. She didn’t move this time. “I didn’t like seeing her do those things to you and I would have stopped her if I had been a different kind of kid. If I had been who I am now.”

Katara slammed a fist on the counter. “That’s why I’m so conflicted now! Every day on the way home, Aang talks about you nonstop.”

Zuko felt heat crawl up his neck.

“He says you’re sweet and kind and you listen to him. You even gave him a job at a tea shop! But I can’t stop thinking about the kid that stood there and let his sister bully me for having a dead mother.”

Zuko sighed. “I don’t have an explanation for why she did that. Our own mother left us when we were little, but that gave her no excuse to treat you like that. Katara, I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t fix everything, but... I really like being Aang’s friend. Some day I hope to be yours, too.”

Katara stared at the cake, turmoil apparent in her eyes.

“And I know it doesn’t make a difference, but I’m sorry about your mom.”

She looked at him and then closed her eyes with a defeated sigh. A small smile quirked the corner of her lips. “I trust Aang’s judgement. I’ll give you a shot if you help me take this cake out there.”

Zuko smiled, relieved to have gotten through to her. He rushed to her and picked up the other side of the cake. On the way into the dining room, Katara carefully held the edge with one hand as she turned out the lights.

Only the soft glow of the candles on the cake led their way. Someone had already prepared the room and had Aang sit down at the dining table. They set the cake down in front of him. As Zuko sang happy birthday with everyone else, he kept his eyes glued on Aang. The boy’s face was glowing under the candle light, almost scarily with how wide his smile was.

After he blew out the candles, the whole room cheered. A guy, who Zuko later realized was Katara’s brother, shoved Aang’s face into the cake. Aang came back up laughing like a maniac. He wiped some cake off his face and threw it at Sokka and then at Toph who was calling him twinkle toes again.

Katara started nagging Sokka about how she’d spent all day on that cake and became even more outraged when he spread icing across her face. Aang went to get cleaned up, so Zuko hovered awkwardly as the crowd scattered to different parts of the house.

To his surprise, Toph was the first one to approach him. “Hey, Sparky, glad you could make it,” she said as she punched his arm.

Zuko cringed and rubbed his arm. “Sparky?”

Toph smirked. “Aang said your firebending was incredible, so I thought Sparky would suit you.”

His heart leapt into his throat. “H-he said that?”

“Yep,” she said. “Have you met Sokka and Katara?”

“I met Katara.”

Toph nodded. “Sokka!” She yelled.

The siblings stopped bickering to look at Toph. Sokka looked at her with a raised brow. “What? Did you really have to yell?”

“Doesn’t matter. This is Zuko,” she said with a sarcastic hand movement.

Sokka crossed his arms and made his way over with squinted eyes. “So this is the famous Zuko, huh?”

Zuko frowned. “I don’t know about famous, but I am Zuko. You’re on the baseball team, right?”

Sokka’s façade was slipping, the corner of his mouth raising. “Why yes, yes I am,” he held out a hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet a fan.”

Zuko reached out to shake his hand, but Sokka abruptly took it back.

“Wait. Isn’t your sister that crazy Azula chick that used to bully Katara?”

Sighing, Zuko opened his mouth to explain everything again, but Katara beat him to it. She grabbed her brother’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, Sokka. We’ve sorted it out.”

He looked at her seriously, no longer playing around. “Are you sure?”

Katara nodded. “Yeah. He knows I’ll kick his ass if he tries anything.”

Sokka looked to Zuko with a suspicious glare. Zuko nodded enthusiastically.

“Well, alright then!” Sokka threw an arm around Zuko’s neck and ruffled his hair. “Welcome to the team, Sparky.”

He wasn’t going to get away from that nickname, was he?

“Nice to see you all getting along,” Aang said as he walked back into the dining room. His face was scrubbed a bit red. Rather than the clothes he was wearing earlier, he had changed into a blue jersey and sweatpants. “Sokka, since you’re the one that shoved me, I took your clothes.”

Sokka almost began to gripe, but sighed instead. “That’s fair.”

Zuko smiled. “Blue suits you.”

Aang nibbled his bottom lip as he smiled. The red blotches on his face became darker.

All of Aang’s friends looked at Zuko, but he had no idea why. He looked back at each of them. “What?”

Katara placed her head in her hands with an “Oh no” as Toph and Sokka started laughing.

Between dramatic breaths of air, Sokka said to Toph, “He even bit his lip.”

Toph laughed even harder.

Zuko wasn’t sure what was going on, but Aang looked embarrassed out of his mind.

The party went a lot smoother than Zuko had anticipated. When it was time for Aang to open presents, he requested that Aang wait until the party was over and he was gone to open his. To be honest, Zuko had never given a real gift before. To be there when someone opened it? It felt like too much emotion for him to handle.

When Zuko finally decided it was time for him to go home, he stood on the front porch with Aang. It was a warm night. The last traces of summer hung onto their skin.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk home with you?” Aang asked. The sleeve of Sokka’s jersey crinkled under his fist.

Zuko shook his head. “I’ll be alright. Happy Birthday,” he said, reaching up to ruffle Aang’s dark hair.

Aang laughed and swatted him away. His laugh faded into a soft smile. “Thanks for coming. And thanks for the present even though you won’t let me open it in front of you.”

“No problem.”

“Can I at least call you after I open it?”

Zuko cringed. That felt like the same thing as being there.

“Text?”

That seemed better. “Yeah. You can text me.”

Aang giddily bounced on his feet. “Bet. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course. It’s your first day at work.”

When Zuko got home, his uncle was already asleep. The floors barely creaked as he snuck through the house and into his bedroom. As soon as he was finished brushing his teeth and dressing for bed, his phone began to blow up with messages from Aang.

_askjdfnal a;sdknf;oi_

_Are you kidding me zuko??????_

_You seriously didn’t_

_How will I ever repay you????!!!!!!!_

_I’m like on the floor hugging it rn TYSM_

_You’re welcome :D_

_… you text like an old man_

_> :/_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the nice response! I didn’t think this story would get that much attention🥰 Also, here’s a little drawing I did of Zuko and Aang from chapter one :P https://www.deviantart.com/kiwifrogg/art/Dance-with-me-849595002

Chapter Three

  
Zuko’s eyes sagged a bit when he finally pulled himself out of bed. He’d given his uncle the heads up that he was skipping morning lessons, so it was already well into the day. Iroh was likely at the shop already. Along with Aang.

The thought of seeing Aang after having given him the skateboard made his heart flutter. Even though he’d only had it for maybe ten hours by then, Zuko hoped that he still liked it.

The sky was clear as he walked to The Jasmine Dragon. In his head, Zuko debated on if he should ask Aang to be his partner for the bending contest. He was smart, agile, cunning and not to mention an incredible airbender. The only thing keeping him from asking was Aang’s comment in bending arts class about Lord’s attempt to tear down his temple.

Would he still be uninterested if Zuko asked him to be his partner? He wasn’t sure. There was the possibility he could mention that Aang put the prize money towards saving the temple. That could work. He’d even let him have his cut. All Zuko really wanted was to prove something to his father.

The tea shop was busy, as per usual on Sunday mornings. When Zuko stepped through the door, chattering voices and leafy smells made him feel welcomed. Iroh was up at the front desk taking orders while Aang practically danced around the tables giving people their tea.

Though Aang’s apron was the smallest size they had, it hung loosely around his neck. The strings were tied tightly around his waist; he even had to pull some of the fabric on the sides into the knot. It was impressive how he used his airbending to swoop tea in front of people, and the customers were obviously enjoying the show. He was getting along well already, though that was no surprise.

Before long, Zuko was pulled into the commotion. He focused on clearing the tables while he let Aang continue to serve. They dipped and curved around each other as they worked on the floor, cutting it close a few times. Aang would raise a brow at him whenever he was caught staring at the way his hips moved. Through all of it, Zuko couldn’t help but notice how well they moved together. It was right then that he decided that he definitely had to convince Aang to be his partner.

A little past noon, Zuko finally got a chance to approach Aang. The morning rush was finally over.

He leaned with his back against the counter with crossed arms as Aang scrubbed cups and plates in the sink. “So, how are you liking it?” He asked.

“I’m actually having a good time. Except, I’m not sure what to work for now that I’ve already got my skateboard,” Aang said. He looked at him out of the corner of his eye with a smirk.

Zuko chuckled. “Well, some spending money couldn’t hurt.”

Aang pulled the rubber gloves off his hands and leaned into Zuko’s space a bit. His big gray eyes kept Zuko’s attention as Aang lightly gripped his forearm. “I really appreciate the gift. It means a lot to me that you’d do that,” he said softly.

Before Zuko could say anything, Aang perked himself on his toes and kissed his cheek. It was a blink and you miss it kind of deal, but Zuko very much did not miss it. Even a minute after Aang had left the room with lingering eyes, he still stood there with his hand on his cheek.

“Zuko?” Iroh said, walking into the kitchen. “Are you alright? Do you need to go home?”

Zuko shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts, but the heat on his cheeks wouldn’t leave. “I—uh— I’m fine, Uncle, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Alright. Just let me know.”

With no idea what to think of Aang’s burst of… intimacy, Zuko decided to shrug it off and continue with the last few hours of his shift. That was difficult to do when Aang kept staring at him every five minutes as if he was waiting for something to happen. It went by slowly.

When the time to leave finally came, Zuko hung up his apron and clocked out. He asked Iroh if he needed help with any last minute clean up.

“No, but thank you, my nephew.” Then, with a smug smile, he said, “I think your friend is waiting for you at the door.”

Zuko glanced out into the empty sitting area. Aang stood leaned against one of the pillars next to the front doors. The boy was scrolling through his phone aimlessly.

“You go. I’ll meet you back home,” Iroh said.

Zuko nodded and moseyed over to Aang with his hands in his pockets.

“Hey,” he said, instantly grabbing Aang’s full attention. “...You want me to walk you home?”

Aang scratched his cheek, spirits appearing to be low. “Oh! Uh, you don’t have to. I just wanted to say bye.”

“I don’t mind.”

The hope in Aang’s eyes when they finally met his own sent a shiver down his back. For the first time, Zuko noticed how attractive his friend was. The evening sun poured over his features, highlighting his cheek bones and button nose. Tan, toned arms crossed his chest, causing certain parts of the muscles to stick out in a way that made Zuko’s eyes wander.

Then, all Zuko could think about was if the summer season were to somehow come to life, he would look like Aang. Bright, funny and energetic. Warm and inviting. Hot. This... this line of thought was getting a bit too detailed to be about his best friend.

“Okay, sure,” Aang said.

For reasons Zuko couldn’t find, their walk began awkwardly. Aang was abnormally quiet at Zuko’s side. His steps were small. The tie dye shirt he wore was huge, but he had the bottom tucked into his ripped jeans.

Zuko wasn’t used to being the one running the conversation, but he tried. “Um. So. Why... are all your shirts so big?” Emphasis on tried.

Aang gave him a confused look, and he looked down at himself. He huffed a laugh. “I dunno. That’s just how I like them?”

“Oh,” he muttered. What a stupid question. Maybe he should just go ahead and ask about the bending competition. He stopped walking and turned to Aang. “Hey, so, can I ask you a question?”

Aang appeared to be startled by the abrupt stop. He looked up at Zuko with nervous wide eyes and red cheeks. A soft, hopeful smile sat on his face. “O-of course! What’s up?”

Zuko’s shoulders slumped as he scratched the back of his neck. “Ah, well, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to—”

“Yes!”

Jumping at the sudden interruption, Zuko looked down at Aang’s beaming face. “You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

Aang shrunk back in embarrassment, but was still smiling. “Sorry, go ahead.”

“... I was just going to ask if you would be my partner for the bending competition Coach mentioned.”

The happiness on Aang’s face slowly fell into what seemed like a small, forced smile. “Oh,” he said.

Zuko quickly tried to mend the situation, sensing its turn in an unfavorable direction. “I-If we were to win, you could—you could use the prize money to save your temple?” He said quickly. “I would even let you have my half.”

Aang frowned. “Zuko, I couldn’t possibly do that.”

“But you can have it! I just, I want to prove to myself that I can do this.” He left out the part about his father, not sure how Aang would react. “And I would really love if you did it with me because you’re beautiful— I mean, your bending is beautiful! I really think we could win this together and we—”

“Zuko, stop it,” Aang said, laughing. “I’ll do the stupid competition with you.”

“… Really? Why did you sound so disappointed when I first asked?”

Aang blushed and his smile took a bit of a sad turn. “I just… thought you were going to ask something else. That’s all. If this is that important to you, of course I’ll help. And you’re right, that prize money could be a lot of help to save the temple.”

A feeling of relief washed over Zuko. He actually said yes. It was really happening. He smiled. “Of course! Thank you, Aang, this really means a lot to me.”

Aang bit his lip and then said, “Anything for you.”

Zuko was not sure how to respond to that, so he just lifted his hand and ruffled through Aang’s hair.

Aang swatted him away with a chuckle. “You’ve gotta stop doing that, man.”

The next day at school, Zuko and Aang spent all their time together discussing what they could do for the competition. Aang would spit out idea after idea while Zuko tried to keep notes. By the time they made it to their bending arts class, they had a list of moves they wanted to use and a few ways to combine them together into a sort of dance.

“Alright everyone! Partner up with an element different from yours!” Coach yelled as Aang and Zuko left the changing rooms.

Aang turned to Zuko and bowed low with an arm up. “Care to be my partner?” He said in a deep, posh voice.

They laughed together as they found a spot in the gym to stand. As Coach explained what they needed to do, Zuko couldn’t keep his eyes off Aang. The tank top he wore was loose on his body, even showing parts of his bare chest, but his arms, Zuko sighed, his arms were completely revealed in all their glory. Blue arrows trailed up farther than Zuko had ever seen. Faintly, he wondered where the one on his head led to.

“Zuko!” Aang said, snapping him out of his thoughts. He was laughing and waving an arm at him. “Did you hear anything Coach just said?”

Zuko blushed, previous train of thought fresh in his mind. Scratching his neck, he said, “Ah, no actually. Sorry.”

Aang just smiled. “I’m going to teach you a few airbending moves, and then you show me some firebending ones. Okay?”

“Oh, sure.”

“So, I’m going to do one then you repeat it.”

Zuko nodded and spread his legs into a strong stance. He watched Aang perform, amazed at how loose but controlled his movements were.

“Remember, airbending is more about defense. Evasion. Move in tight circles,” Aang said once he stopped in his ending stance.

“Got it,” Zuko said as he stepped. It was much more difficult to move like Aang than it looked. His movements were jerky and too tight.

Coming up into Zuko’s space, Aang corrected his arm positioning. “Relax. Unclench your fists.”

Zuko sighed and tried to listen, but the airbender’s hands were burning his skin wherever he corrected. “O-okay,” he said.

After a few more tries, Zuko was able to nail the move. Now, he was watching as Aang danced about trying to get a grip on the firebending move Zuko showed him.

Shaking his head, Zuko said, “Your body movements are too tight. You’re expecting firebending to be more structured, but it’s not. Keep the looseness you have normally, but move in the way I showed you.”

Aang chuckled. “Yes, Sifu Hotman.”

“Don’t start calling me that!” Zuko said, ears burning.

Once Aang perfected that move, they learned a couple more from each other before class ended. They informed Coach of their willingness to sign up for the bending contest and she had them sign a sheet as well as preached to them about the rules once again.

In the locker room, Aang approached Zuko with red dusting his cheeks. “Hey, so, I was wondering if you wanted to come over today after school.”

Zuko rose a brow. “We don’t have any assignments to work on right now. Did you want to practice our bending routine? We don’t have much of one yet, but—”

Aang rushed to interrupt him before he fell into a tangent. “Actually, I was hoping we could just hang out. Play some video games?”

“Oh...” Zuko had never been asked to hang out before. There was always some other force making him see someone outside of school, like projects or homework, but he’d never been asked to play video games. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Aang bit his lip, smile practically splitting his face. “Awesome! Gyatso won’t be home until late, so we could order a pizza or something?”

Zuko smiled as he picked up his backpack from the ground. “My favorite.”

As they walked out of the school, Zuko listened to Aang chatter on about anything and everything. It was becoming one of his favorite things to do. Aang spoke so animatedly it was incredibly entertaining. Often, he found himself staring. The way he moved his arms as he talked, the way his voice played along with whatever story he was telling— it was all so hypnotic.

Katara and Sokka found them at the edge of campus. Aang was pulled into a conversation with Katara about an assignment they had to do together. Sokka stepped up to Zuko with a grin.

“So. Who are you gonna take to homecoming?” He said.

Zuko frowned. “It’s still a month away. I have no idea.”

“I’m going with my beautiful girlfriend, Suki,” Sokka said with gooey passion in his eyes. “Katara and Aang usually go together.”

Something inside Zuko stirred at that. “Are they... together?”

“What? No way. I mean, they dated in middle school, but nothing became of it.”

“How come?”

Sokka shrugged. “Just didn’t work out.”

Zuko mulled this information in his head for a moment before hesitantly asking, “Does he like anyone now?” It wasn’t really any of his business, but he was curious.

Smirking, Sokka crossed his arms and leaned in. “I think he does.”

Zuko’s heart sank. “Who?”

“Not really my place to say, dude.”

“I guess that’s fair...” he said, trying not to let his disappointment show.

“I will tell you this, though,” Sokka said. “When Aang is crushing on someone, he bites his lip around them. A lot.”

Zuko rose a brow. “How do you know that?”

“I’ve been his friend for a long time now, my dude. He had a crush on my own sister. You notice things about people.”

Bites his lip? That was a weird tell. Zuko wasn’t sure if he’d seen Aang bite his lip around anyone. He would have had ample opportunities considering how many girls approached him throughout the day. Maybe he should just pay more attention.

When the four of them approached a familiar house, Zuko remembered that Sokka and Katara were Aang’s neighbors. They said goodbye to their friends and Zuko followed Aang to a tiny home. It seemed very modest with minimal landscaping and in serious need of a new paint job.

Aang walked in and dumped his backpack on the bench next to the door, so Zuko did the same. The kitchen and living room was all one big space and there was barely any furniture. A small couch sat in the living room area with an even smaller coffee table. The walls were bare and cream.

“I see Gyatso isn’t one for interior design,” Zuko said.

“Oh, yeah, the monks tend to not have many worldly possessions. If any. Gyatso spends most of his time at the temple. He only has this house because of me.”

“Is he your father?”

Aang beckoned Zuko into the direction of his room. “Might as well be. I was left on the temple doorstep as a baby. They’ve done their best to give me a normal life.”

“That’s very kind of them,” Zuko said as he stepped into Aang’s room. It was the polar opposite to the rest of the house. Every inch of the walls was covered in either posters of famous skateboarders or wall paintings. His bed was small in the corner without a frame. The corner adjacent had a huge purple bean bag with a small television sitting across from it.

“Yeah, they’re great.”

Zuko walked up to one of the wall paintings, an intricate floral design, and ran a finger along one of the vines. “Did you paint these? They’re awesome.”

Aang blushed, sitting on the bean bag with a playstation controller. “Yeah, thanks. Painting helps me think.”

Zuko sat next to Aang, trying and failing to keep their legs from touching. He was handed a controller and looked down at it blankly. Having never played video games, Zuko tried to keep up with Aang in the racing game they were playing. They played for about an hour before Zuko decided that he loved them. After a particularly close match, Zuko sighed and slumped back into the bean bag chair.

“I have a confession,” he mumbled.

Aang put his controller down. “Your sins are safe with me.”

“I’ve never played video games.”

Aang leaned over him and looked at him like his head just fell off. “So, like, what do priests do if someone’s sin is just straight up a crime?”

Zuko laughed and shoved him away. “Shut up.”

“No, but really, how have you never played any games!”

“Well,” for a moment, Zuko debated whether or not he should open that can of worms, but decided Aang was his friend. He wouldn’t judge him. “My father prioritized academics and training over playing. I wasn’t allowed.”

Aang’s eyes immediately filled with sympathy and another emotion he couldn’t quite detect. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

Zuko shook his head. “Nah, I turned out fine. I think,” he said with a laugh.

The tattooed boy’s mouth barely twitched as he stared off to the ground. After a moment, he said, “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Sighing, Zuko knew exactly what it was before he said yes.

“How did you get your scar?” He said, a hand barely touching his own cheek.

Zuko took a moment to figure out how to tell him. Usually he gave a general bullshit answer that people typically bought, but he wanted to be truthful with Aang. Something about those soft grey eyes commanded honesty. He sat up and combed his fingers through his hair.

“I was at a business meeting with my father. I spoke out of turn. As punishment, my father challenged me to an Agni Kai, a firebending duel that’s only won if someone is burned. I was thirteen. I refused to fight him, so…”

Aang placed a hand on his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have brought it up—”

“No, it’s fine. You’re allowed to ask questions,” Zuko said with a weak smile.

After a moment of silence, Aang popped up onto his feet. “You know what would lighten the mood?”

Zuko looked up at him.

“Some pizza!”

The mood was definitely back to normal after they placed their order. Aang put on some music in the kitchen as they waited for it to arrive. He was showing Zuko various dance moves, trying to get him to join in.

“I’m not much of a dancer.”

Aang gave him a deadpan look as he body rolled to “Umbrella” by Rihanna. “Did you not just ask me to compete in a bending contest with you?”

Zuko frowned. “That’s not really dancing.”

Laughing, Aang held out a hand for Zuko to take. “It should be.”

Hesitation gripped him, but he broke free when Aang took his hand and pulled him up from his seat. After watching Aang move for a moment, he began to mimic him. He tried to move as fluidly as his friend, even going so far as to remember the pointers he was given for air bending earlier in the day.

The sound of Aang’s joyous laughter filled his ears. “There you go!” He said. If his dancing looked like a Dad on the dance floor, Aang didn’t mention it.

Zuko found a big smile spreading across his face as they pranced about the living room. He’d never done anything like this before. Simply letting go and really feeling his body move pumped his veins with exhilaration. Watching Aang dance next to him with his eyes closed made affection spike through his heart.

Without thinking, Zuko reached out to him. Their hands met clumsily, but Zuko gripped tight as he twirled Aang under his arm. To his relief, the smaller boy was all too happy to comply, even going so far as to grip his shoulders and laugh as they danced together.

During the last chorus, Aang turned in his arms, back pressed against his chest. Their hips moved in sync and Zuko couldn’t resist the urge to grip them tightly. Aang laughed breathlessly, arms up over his head and laid backwards over Zuko’s shoulders.

A knock at the door shocked them away from each other. Aang bounced over to his phone and turned off the blaring music with a red face. Zuko stood there trying to catch his breath as his friend retrieved the pizza from the man at the door.

The yellow light above the kitchen flickered as they ate in silence. Zuko was entirely unsure how to progress with the evening after having the opportunity to touch Aang’s hips. It was only when Aang looked over at him with his lip between his teeth in a shy smile that he realized he couldn’t keep playing dumb. In the short time since the school year had started, Aang had managed to wedge himself into Zuko’s airtight heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

After they finished their pizza, Zuko decided it was time for him to go home. He lingered in the doorway, though.

“Um, so… I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” He asked as he leaned on his arm and looked down at Aang. 

Aang stood close, leaned on the other side of the frame with his arms crossed. A dorky smile lifted his cheeks. “Sure thing.”

Zuko snorted, eye’s searching Aang’s. The smaller boy bit his lip and as he watched the skin stretch under his teeth, Zuko desperately wished he could bite it for him. This close up, he could see light freckles littering the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. The spark in Aang’s eyes shifted, becoming almost a plead for Zuko to lean closer. Heat shot up his body and landed on his cheeks. With an embarrassed smile, he looked down at his shoes.

Aang chuckled. “Are you gonna stand in my doorway all night, Hotman?”

Zuko sighed at the nickname and pushed off. “I’ll just take my leave, then.”

Aang slumped even more, nearly putty against the doorframe. “I guess you will.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Zuko said as he backed down the porch stairs.

“Yeah, we established that.”

“Ah, right. Well… bye.”

Aang stepped back and gripped the door tight. “See ya.”

When the front door finally clicked closed, Zuko felt like he was on cloud nine. He could feel his heart in his ears. It had been way too long since he felt this way about someone. As he made his way home, his cheeks began to hurt from smiling too much.

Zuko noticed something, though. Aang had bit his lip twice while he was there. That couldn’t mean anything… could it? 

“Aw, Zuzu, I’m glad you had a good date.”

Zuko’s heart nearly stopped. He whipped around to see Azula a little ways behind him. All happiness drained from his face immediately, quickly replaced with seething anger.

“How did you find me?” He snapped.

Azula frowned at him. “What? I don’t even get a greeting?”

“What the hell do you want?”

Azula sighed, sauntering up to him. “Listen. I just wanted to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. This contest Dad is sponsoring is not a good way for you to redeem yourself.”

Zuko’s heart dropped. “How did you know I was competing?”

“Zuko, please, you know I have eyes everywhere. That’s not the point. I told Dad about your little idea and he doesn’t want you to bother. You’ll only embarrass yourself.”

Eyes burning, Zuko yelled, “You’re lying!”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Don’t make this harder on yourself, brother. I’m only the messenger. Just find something else to do with your little boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Whatever.”

“And I’m competing whether Dad wants me to or not.”

Azula laughed. “Zuko, when are you going to realize Dad doesn’t give a rat’s ass what you do? I just thought I’d give you a heads up. There’s no way you’d win, so you might as well drop it before you give Father another reason to hate you.”

Zuko felt his rage build up in his chest and hands. Swinging his arm, he sent a fireball in Azula’s direction. “Leave me alone!”

She evaded it with ease. The fire left a black spot on the cement. “Whatever you want, Zuzu,” she said as she turned around to walk away. “Oh, and if you don’t want me finding you anymore, maybe you should turn off the family tracker on your phone.”

Filled with rage and hurt, Zuko pulled his phone from his pocket and launched it into the sidewalk with a grunt. It shattered into a million pieces.

_Zuko!_

He heard the voice, but it sounded so far away. Panic tangled in his heart, and he could feel the sweat on his forehead. 

_Zuko, wake up!_

Consciousness ripped through him like a knife on a sheer curtain. Air flowed in and out of his chest rapidly, burning his lungs. Fire licked the corners of his mouth as his head whipped back and forth to figure out where he was. A hand touched his shoulder, but it barely registered as human. He swiped it away from himself and cowered farther up onto his bed. 

Wait... his bed. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he adjusted to the low light of the room. His own room. The room his Uncle gave him. When the hand touched him again, he didn’t flinch. Eyes moving a mile a minute, he eventually found his uncle.

“Uncle,” he said. His voice felt torn and sounded even worse. 

“Zuko,” Iroh said softly, combing his fingers through his nephew’s hair. “I’ve lost track of how many nightmares you’ve had this week. What is wrong?”

Fear took Zuko’s heart again. “Did I wake you? I’m so sorry—I’m sorry—I’m sorry,” he whimpered. Tears fell from his eyes.

“Zuko, no, you don’t need to be sorry. You cannot control these things.”

“But I woke you. I—I’m disruptive, ungrateful—”

“It was a nightmare. Please, take a moment and remember where you are.”

Iroh pulled Zuko’s fringe and tucked it behind his ear. Zuko continued to breath heavily for the next several minutes, and then let his face fall into his hands. His shoulders shook with the weight of his sobs. With a sniffle, he pulled his uncle into a hug, taking a moment to feel his kind hands pat his back comfortingly.

He sighed into Iroh’s shoulder. “I don’t know if I can do the bending competition, Uncle.”

For the past five days, Zuko had skipped school and work. Horrible, relentless nightmares plagued his nights, and then he would sleep off and on all day. All he could think about was his father’s never loosening gaze of disappointment. The bending competition felt heavy in his heart and it wasn’t even anytime close. They didn’t even have a routine yet.

“Nobody is making you do it, Zuko. There is no shame in backing out.”

“Yes, there is!” Zuko yelled, pulling away, “I need to prove to him that I can be something. That I’m not wasted space!”

“You are neither of those things,” Iroh said. His eyes were calm. “I think the problem here is that you are doing this competition for the wrong reasons.”

Zuko narrowed his eyes at him. “What do you mean?”

“Since you’re so dead set on doing this, you need to figure out who it’s really for. Because it’s not for your father. He is not deserving of seeing you succeed. You know who does deserve that?”

Zuko met his question with silence and confusion.

Iroh smiled sadly. “You,” he said. “For some reason, you need this competition to give you self worth. I will tell you right now that it won’t. Only you can do that, Zuko. Only you can choose to forgive yourself for whatever it is you think you’ve done wrong. Relying on the competition, your father, to give you that is not something that will end happily.”

Zuko frowned at his lap. 

“And if you’re not ready to trust yourself like that... at least do it for your friend. You said he could use that money to aid in his protests, right?”

“...Yeah.”

Zuko felt horrible for ignoring Aang for the past few days. The boy would try to visit him, and Zuko would never answer when he was at his bedroom door knocking. Aang would talk about his day and what was going on in class before he slid worksheets under his door. Zuko cringed when he remembered the tone of his voice two days ago when he told his friend to go away. Aang left and didn’t come back over the weekend.

“Aang has been worried about you. When he comes into work, he asks how you are doing,” Iroh said. “I think somehow he feels he is responsible for how you’re acting.”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “What? But this has nothing to do with him!”

“How is he supposed to know that? You’ve broken your phone. You’ve completely cut him off. All your friends.”

Smiling bitterly, Zuko said, “They’re not all my friends. They just tolerate me because Aang somehow thinks I’m a good person.”

“You are not in the right state of mind, my nephew. Please, get some rest and we will talk about this tomorrow.”

His pillow felt much more comfortable when he laid back down than it had in the past few days. Falling right to sleep, his dreams were finally calm.

“Zuko!”

Once again, Zuko woke up to the sound of his name, but this time it wasn’t his uncle. Springing up in bed with panic, he found the angry face of Toph in his doorway. Iroh was behind her, munching on cookies.

“I’m sorry, Zuko,” he said. “Her offering was too good to refuse.”

Toph pointed at him, but her eyes stayed on the far wall. “Get your ass out of bed, you’re going to school today.”

Zuko scowled. “You’re not my mother.”

“No, I’m your _friend_. And for some damn reason, I care about you. So, get dressed and meet me by the front door in five minutes or you’re toast.” As she walked out of the room she yelled, “That is a threat!”

Iroh chuckled. “She’s much more assertive than me. I should invite her over every time you lock yourself in your room.”

With seemingly no other choice, Zuko rolled out of bed and got dressed. Like she promised, Toph was impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for him at the open door. Iroh trailed behind him as he went. After he passed her with a sour face, she stomped her foot. A small rock tower shot out of the ground behind Zuko and nudged him down the front stairs.

“Thank you, Iroh,” she said. “I can always bring by more cookies if you’d like.”

“Well, if you insist,” Iroh said bashfully. He patted his stomach. “Your presence is always welcome here, Toph.”

She smiled as he closed the door, but it immediately fell into a frown when it clicked. Zuko was already down the road, but she caught up to him quickly, gliding across the street on a mound of rocks.

“Alright, what’s the deal, Sparky?” She said, falling into pace next to him.

“It’s none of your business.”

Toph scoffed. “Well, considering your little hissy fit upset one of my best friends, I’d say it is.”

Zuko’s brow loosened. “How is Aang?”

“He whined and worried about it the first two days, but after that, he just got quiet. Aang doesn’t do quiet. You’re lucky I came to kick your ass in gear and not Katara. You’d be dead right now.”

Zuko threw his head back and groaned. “Katara hates me again.”

“I would say greatly dislikes.”

For a moment, Zuko debated on if he should let Toph know what happened. He really didn’t feel like getting into it, but she deserved an explanation.

Hesitantly, Zuko said, “I ran into my sister last Monday night. She made me angry and I shattered my phone. She got into my head and it felt like... I felt like my old self again.”

Toph stayed quiet.

“I didn’t mean to hurt Aang. I just... get like that sometimes. It’s the reason why I failed junior year.”

“You locked yourself in your room?”

“Yeah. Refused to go to school. So, when my final grades came in, my dad threw me out. He didn’t want some useless kid in his house.”

The chilly morning wind shifted through their hair as they walked. Toph sighed.

“My parents think I’m useless, too,” she said. “The little blind girl that can’t fend for herself. I’m supposed to have an escort with me at all times, but I use my allowance to pay her to get lost. I dream about the day I can leave. When I turn eighteen.”

Zuko scratched the back of his neck, not sure what to say.

“You’re lucky to have your Uncle. I’ve known him for a long time. As a kid, I would wander into his tea shop all the time and he’d give me a cup on the house. Sometimes I would bring cookies to him at his home and we’d talk. He’s a good man.”

“Yeah, he is,” Zuko said with a slight smile. It dropped quickly. “I’m sorry you have to go through all that.”

Toph shrugged. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through your shit, too.” She quickly punched him in the arm. “You’ve gotta apologize to Aang, though.”

“I know... I will.” Zuko could see the school in the distance. A ball of nerves clenched in his stomach. 

He didn’t see Aang until after biology class started. The boy had skipped lunch, leaving Zuko a nervous wreck. He started to think he wouldn’t show to class until he walked in ten minutes after the bell. Not making eye contact with anyone, Aang made his way to his seat next to Zuko undetected by the teacher.

Zuko’s heart was pounding in his chest. He wanted to apologize, pull Aang into a hug and go back to how they were before. But Aang didn’t even spare him a glance. He burrowed himself into his large hoodie with his arms crossed and listened to the lesson. 

By some stroke of luck, they had an activity to do during class. The teacher handed out worksheets and safety goggles. Zuko watched Aang read over the worksheet silently. He leaned in slightly.

“Aang, I—”

Without looking up, Aang snarked, “Oh, so I do exist? That’s surprising.”

Zuko flinched. He’d never seen Aang this way before. His heart ached. “Aang, please—”

Aang’s shoulders hunched. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, Zuko.”

Zuko grabbed the back of Aang’s chair and swiveled him around to face him. He still wouldn’t meet his eyes. Zuko leaned to try and catch them, but he just kept diverting them.

“I’m sorry,” Zuko said earnestly.

Aang scowled. “Congratulations.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“Whatever. I got the message loud and clear, alright?” He grabbed the table and turned himself back.

Zuko frowned. “What message?”

Aang suddenly got up from his chair, grabbed his bag and asked the teacher to use the restroom. He didn’t return. Nor did he attend bending arts. Zuko felt like pulling his hair out.

After school let out, he searched around the campus for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Walking along the front of the school, Zuko spotted Katara talking to a guy with a mustache.

“Katara,” Zuko said as he walked up to her. She had obviously been flirting with the guy she was with, but her face fell into a scowl when she saw Zuko.

“Haru, I’ll talk to you later, okay?” She said with a sweet smile. The boy nodded and said goodbye. Turning back to Zuko with a glare, she threw her arms up. “Where have you been!”

Zuko shook his head. “I don’t have time to explain. Ask Toph, I told her everything. Did Aang go home?”

“Are you serious? You really think I’m going to tell you after what you did?”

“Katara, come on, I know I messed up. I’m not perfect. Please, I need to apologize to him.”

Katara crossed her arms. “He really liked you, you know. Now he feels like an idiot for thinking you liked him, too.”

“I do like him!”

“Then why did you ignore him for a week after you guys hung out! That’s not something you do when you like someone.”

At that moment, Sokka came walking up, arm around a short brunette girl. “What’s up guys?” 

Zuko turned to him. “Do you know where Aang went?”

“Oh, yeah, he went to the monastery.”

Katara growled. “Sokka!”

Without another word, Zuko took off.

The temple was much bigger than he imagined. His head fell all the way back to see the intricate designs on the gate he passed through. Walking up to the large front doors, Zuko’s heart pounded in his ears. There was a rope to the side attached to a bell. He pulled it. It only took half a minute for someone to answer.

The man was obviously very old, but also strong looking. The robes he wore engulfed his whole body and around his neck were wooden beads. “Can I help you?” He said.

Zuko gulped. “I’m looking for Aang.”

“Aang isn’t seeing visitors at the moment.”

Desperate, Zuko said, “Please. This is very important.”

The old man looked him up and down before the corner of his mouth quirked up. “You must be Zuko,” he said.

Zuko’s eyes widened. “Are you Gyatso?”

“That I am.”

Of course it was Aang’s father figure to open the door. Zuko bowed deep. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“I would normally say the same, but it seems that you have hurt Aang.”

“I know. And I’m terribly sorry. That’s why I need to see him.”

After a moment of thought, Gyatso nodded. “Very well. He is in the courtyard,” he said as he let Zuko inside. He pointed down the main hall. “Keep straight and you’ll walk right into it.”

“Thank you so much. I promise I’ll make it up to him.”

“See that you will. Good luck.”

It was deathly quiet as he walked, footsteps echoing eerily. The walls were white stone with the occasional engraving. In the distance, a pointed archway led to a grassy courtyard. A large tree was planted in the middle. The sun filtered through, landing as spots on the ground.

As Zuko walked through, he spotted Aang at the base of the tree sitting cross legged with his hands in his lap. The robes he wore passed over his left shoulder and tucked into a belt, leaving part of his chest and right shoulder revealed. Instead of bothering him, Zuko sat about ten feet behind him and waited. Half an hour passed and still, he waited for Aang to make a move.

When the sky was orange and pink, Aang finally slouched over. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

“I have a hard time when I can’t help those who are closest to me,” he said in almost a whisper. “Seeing you suffer and then reject me and ignore me made me feel powerless.” He sighed. “I know you’re going through some stuff, but you shouldn’t treat friends like that.”

Zuko swallowed a lump in his throat. “I know. The thing is… I’ve never had real friends before. I always pushed away anyone that tried. I’ve always had to do it on my own, so I don’t know how to ask for help.” He scooted a little closer. Aang’s head turned to the side slightly. “After I started living with my uncle, I started to feel things I had never felt before. He's taught me things I didn't think I'd ever understand." He hesitated before saying, "Depression eats at me and I’m trying to get better. Seeing you almost every day gives me the strength to try.”

Aang finally turned around, fixing Zuko with a cautious gaze.

Zuko continued, eye contact unwavering. “I saw my sister the night I walked home from your place. She fucked with my head. I hate to say it, but Azula is a big trigger for me. She shoves me back into my old ways.” He forgot where he was going with that line of thought, but it didn’t matter because Aang was now sitting right in front of him. “I can’t promise to do everything right, but I can promise to do my best. You’re my best friend.”

Aang smiled before yanking Zuko into a tight hug. Zuko let out a large sigh, quickly melting into his friend’s embrace.

When they pulled back, his breath caught in his throat. Aang was so close. His gray eyes were half lidded, looking at him with that same expectant spark he’d seen so many times.

“I also broke my phone,” Zuko blurted.

Aang’s eyes widened before he burst out into a laughing fit. He fell onto his back and held his stomach. 

Zuko watched him with wonder. 

When the boy finally calmed down, he gave Zuko a cheeky look. “You’re something else, Sifu Hotman.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

“Let’s run through them again,” Zuko said from across the lawn.

Aang groaned, bent over with his hands on his knees. “We’ve been at this all evening, man.”

Zuko crossed his arms. “Oh, sorry, didn’t realize my partner was a big baby.”

Giving the ground a pouty look, Aang stood straight. “That’s not even a good insult,” he mumbled.

“I heard that.”

It was a hot Friday evening. For the past several hours, the two had been practicing the moves they had rounded up. Their dilemma was finding a way to combine them into a routine. They were sweaty, tired and a tad irritable. Aang loved to spitball ideas as they moved, making Zuko lose focus.

“Why don’t we actually start putting these moves together? I know how to perform them by themselves,” Aang said as he went through the motions anyway.

Zuko grunted as he shot fire from his fists. “We need to perfect them.”

Suddenly, Aang appeared in front of him. “I have an idea!”

The taller boy yelped and fell onto his back. The grass felt cool, so he stayed and covered his eyes with an arm. Breathing deeply, Zuko said, “You’ve gotta stop doing that, Aang.”

Aang smiled bashfully. “Sorry,” he leaned over to look down at his friend. “I just thought of something.”

“What?”

“So, one time Sokka and Katara and I went to a festival. I think it was the Fire Days Festival... Anyway, there was a guy there that did a super cool trick called ‘Taming the Dragon’, and I think we should try something like it.”

Zuko pulled his arm down from his face and looked up at Aang with a raised brow. “I’ve seen that trick before. It’s super advanced.”

“But we have teamwork!” Aang held out his hand and hoisted Zuko to his feet. He bounced back a couple steps and said, “Try to make a dragon!”

“From scratch?”

Aang nodded eagerly, dropping into a squat with his arms held up.

“It’s not going to be very big,” Zuko said. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. Feeling the burn in his chest, he exhaled fire. He waved his arms and pulled the control to his hands. A dragon about the size of a small dog pranced around the yard.

“Yes!” Aang yelled, watching the flame. Twirling his arm, he sent a spiral of air to trail after. When it caught up, he spread his arms wide.

The dragon expanded dramatically, becoming impossibly big. Zuko’s eyes widened as he felt Aang take partial control of its direction. They kept an eye on each other, trying to move in sync, but it proved to be much too difficult. Aang tripped over his own feet, sending the dragon spinning to the sky. Zuko quickly pulled back, letting the fire continue on its own.

It reached an incredible height before erupting into a cloud of flames, engulfing itself in its own heat. Aang and Zuko stared up. Then they looked at each other with shocked grins.

“That was so cool!” Aang said, airbending himself to his feet. “We have to do that for the contest!”

Zuko wanted to agree, but he said, “I’m not sure that would be enough, though.”

“Well, we can still do what we’ve been working on, but Zuko! Did you see that! That has to be our ending move!”

Combing a hand through his hair, Zuko chuckled. “Alright. We have plenty of time to figure it out.”

Aang jumped high into the air with a fist pump.

“What’s all this commotion out here?” Iroh said, walking out onto his deck. He looked down over the edge at the two boys. “My peonies better still be intact.”

“Your flowers are fine, Uncle. Aang and I are just trying to figure out our routine.”

Aang nodded at him happily.

The old man hummed, looking between the two of them. “Why don’t you come in for some dinner? You must be starving.”

A look of unease crossed Aang’s face. “Actually, I think I’ll just head home.”

Zuko frowned at him. “What’s wrong?”

The tattooed boy scratched the back of his head. “I’m a vegetarian.”

Iroh laughed from his belly. “That is no hassle! Please, stay. I’ll find something I’m sure you’ll enjoy.” He walked off before Aang had a chance to refuse.

Aang sighed, a slight smile on his face.

“You wanna go get cleaned up?” Zuko asked, thumb pointing to the house.

Aang’s cheeks darkened the tiniest bit. “Oh, like... in your room?”

“Yeah? Is that okay?” He pulled his shirt over his head and wiped around his neck with it.

“Uh...” Aang’s eyes trailed down Zuko’s torso, lingering on the divots of his hips where his sport shorts hung low. He pulled his lip between his teeth. As though caught red handed, he flinched, eyes flashing back up to his friend’s face. “Th—that’s just fine!”

Zuko frowned. He forgot how uncomfortable Aang got around him with his shirt off. “Sorry,” he said softly, face red.

Aang shook his head quickly. “No! No, please, don’t be sorry. I just, uh... Dude, your muscles are unreal.”

If Zuko thought he was blushing before, his face was flaming now. “Thanks?”

“You’re welcome?”

They stood there awkwardly. Zuko started inching towards the porch. “It’s, um— my room is this way.”

“Okay!” Aang followed behind him a little closer than necessary, even managing to bump into Zuko as they were trying to go up the stairs. “Sorry!” He would say, but didn’t sound sorry at all. Zuko’s room was as underwhelming as could be. “Are you sure you live here? It looks deserted.”

“I’m not much of a decorator,” Zuko said. He dug into the top drawer of his dresser. “You can borrow one of my shirts if you want,” he said, glancing at the sweat coating Aang’s tank top.

“Um... sure. Thanks.” His hands gripped the bottom of it nervously before pulling it over his head.

Zuko paused when he turned to give Aang a plain blue shirt. If he was being honest, there was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to reach out and run his hand along Aang’s torso. Instead he opted to burn the image into his head as hard as possible. Once Aang was dressed again, he pulled on a shirt of his own.

“So,” Zuko said, sliding his drawer shut slowly, “Katara still hates me.”

Aang rose a brow at him. “Katara doesn’t hate anyone.”

“I guess I’m a first then. She’s been hardcore ignoring me for the past two weeks. She has to have said something to you about it by now, right?”

Shuffling his feet, Aang crossed his arms. “She’s just really protective of me,” he said, avoiding the question. “You’ll just have to win her back or something.”

“Win her back? How the hell do I do that? She’ll barely even look at me!”

Cracking a smile, Aang flopped back onto Zuko’s bed. “I have an idea.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “You really are just the idea man today, huh,” he mumbled.

Aang chuckled. “No, that’s Sokka. But!” He rolled over onto his side and propped his head on his hand, looking at Zuko with a playful grin. “I know who Katara is crushing on right now.”

“What? Who?”

With a dramatic flare, Aang swept his arm in an arch. “Haru.”

Zuko recalled seeing Katara talking to a guy she called Haru. “Oh. Why would I need to know that?”

“You can get him to ask Katara to homecoming this Friday!”

“... What if he doesn’t want to go with her?”

Aang scoffed. “Who wouldn’t want to go with Katara?”

“I guess...” Something about messing with people’s love lives didn’t sit right with Zuko, but he felt as though he were out of options. He’d spent the last couple weeks doing his best to talk to her, but she wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say. “I heard that you usually go with her, though.”

Aang shrugged. “I actually go to the school now, so I don’t have to rely on her to be able to go. Plus...” Red dusted his cheeks as he glanced off to the side. “I have someone else I wanna ask this time.”

Jealousy creeped up the back of Zuko’s neck. “Oh.”

It shouldn’t have stung as much as it did. The thought that Aang would be with someone else. Someone other than himself. Maybe he’d grown greedy for his attention without keeping in mind what Aang would think or feel. To know that he had been thinking of someone else the whole time made Zuko’s heart ache. It was a stretch to think he had a chance, anyway.

Zuko was quiet during dinner. Any words spoken hit his ears muffled and disregarded. Aang was his usual bright, chatterbox self, but he still couldn’t bring himself to smile when he knew he’d never have him to himself. The food they ate churned in his stomach.

When it came time for Aang to leave, he watched with vacant eyes as the boy skateboarded away. Somehow it felt like he was letting a piece of himself leave.

Without a phone to scroll on, Zuko laid in bed with his thoughts that night and, of course, the only thing his brain would bring up was his friend. Everything about him made his chest swell. Really, he felt pathetic.

At fifteen past midnight, a knock at his window jolted Zuko awake. He swiftly rolled out of bed and onto his knees. A large silhouette was outlined in the curtains, and he slowly crept towards them. Anxiety sat in his stomach, but he pulled the drapes open anyway. It was just Aang. The boy waved at him.

Zuko pulled his window open. “What are you doing here? How—” His room was on the second floor, so Aang was hovering by it on a ball of air. He was wearing a pair of compression shorts, a large unzipped jacket and his chucks. That was it. “Oh.”

“Hey, Hotman, sorry to wake you, but we were just wondering if you’d like to join us on a late night swim,” Aang said.

Brow furrowing, Zuko glanced down at the ground by the road to see a group of people, Aang’s friends he realized after a slow blink, waving at him. “What the hell...”

“Is that a yes?”

He scratched behind his ear, still slightly waking up. “Uh, sure. I guess.” He once again glanced at Aang’s compression shorts; this time it brought heat to his face. “Let me just get my swim trunks. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Aang saluted him before lowering himself to the ground.

It really was only a minute before Zuko was walking out his front door in a black shirt and black trunks. He hadn’t bothered trying to be quiet, Iroh slept like a rock.

“Alright, Zuko! Ready for the night of your life?” Sokka said. He threw his arm around his shoulders.

Zuko raised a brow. “I thought we were just going swimming.”

“Come on, dude. I’m trying to be the hype man here. Work with me.”

He nodded sagely, a serious frown on his face. “Ah, in that case, then I certainly am ready.”

Sokka shoved him playfully. “Whatever.” He pointed to the girl talking to Katara farther up the street. “That’s Suki by the way. Suki, say hi!”

The brown haired girl turned, smiled and waved at him sweetly.

“She seems nice,” Zuko said.

From behind him, Toph scoffed. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s the captain of the volleyball team, and she can get mean as hell.”

Aang grinned, walking next to her. “It’s, like, constructive meanness, though. You know she cares.”

The walk was a short trek through the woods, twigs and leaves crunching under their feet. The air around them felt light and had a slightly chilly sting to it. Even after all this, Zuko didn’t realize they were headed to a lake until they had arrived. The area around the water looked kept.

“Do you guys know the people that own this area?” Zuko asked.

“Not exactly,” Sokka said as he laid out a blanket. “But we’ve never been caught, so who cares?”

There was a big cliff to their right, and Aang wasted no time shucking off his jacket and shoes to run to the top. “Watch this, Zuko!” He yelled before jumping off with a flurry of flips. The splash he made was minuscule, but he came back up splashing and yelping. “Cold! Cold! The water is freezing, guys!”

Zuko chuckled, pulling his shirt over his head.

Aang stopped flailing when Zuko stepped in and sunk down so the water was just below his nose, hiding his blush, as he watched him wade over. When he was close, the water surrounding them was much warmer.

“Hey there,” Zuko said with a smirk.

Aang chuckled, water around his mouth bubbling. He lifted his head. “That’s nuts. You’re like a big furnace.”

“Watch out!” Was the only warning they got before Sokka landed right between them. His hair hung over the sides of his face when he resurfaced. “Dude, Aang, the water is super nice. What are you whining about?”

Rolling his eyes, Aang said. “Sokka, Zuko is a firebender.”

“Oh! Right!” He turned to Zuko with a big grateful smile. “I’m so glad we added you to the group.”

“Guys!” Suki said, swimming up to them. “We should play chicken fight!”

“Hell yeah.” Sokka dipped underwater and scooped his girlfriend up onto his shoulders. She yelped as she was lifted, gripping Sokka’s hair tightly. “Ow, Suki!”

“Sorry!”

Zuko laughed at them, but it died quickly when he saw Aang looking at him with a grin. “What?”

“Put me on your shoulders,” he said with laughter tickling his words. “You know how to play, right?”

Zuko blushed. “Yeah.”

“Then come here.” Aang held out an arm.

Slowly, Zuko swam over to him. Turning his back, he sunk lower in the water so Aang could climb onto him. His thighs were warm against his ears.

“Best two out of three,” Suki said. She made vaguely threatening hand gestures at Aang.

When Aang laughed, Zuko felt the vibrations run all the way from his body to his own.

“You’re on!” He said.

They played two games, ending up with a tie. For their last round, Katara was finally in the water with them as a referee. Toph cheered them on from the shore.

“Suki, no headlocks,” Katara said.

“Lame.”

As the game was beginning to drag, Katara discreetly waved her hand, causing a wave to pick up around Zuko and Aang. The latter lost balance and fell into the water with a yell.

“I win!” Suki said. She fell back into the water.

Zuko frowned at Katara. “What was that for?”

She crossed her arms. “What was what for?”

“Don’t play dumb, you knocked us over.”

“You guys were going to lose anyway,” she said flippantly.

Zuko growled low in his throat, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from acting on his temper.

“Let it go. It’s not a big deal,” Aang mumbled.

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal, but she’s being an ass for no reason.”

Katara bristled. “No reason? You really think this is for no reason? You were on thin ice in the first place and then you went and hurt Aang!”

Suki and Sokka looked at each other with cringes and slowly backed away to the shore.

“Aang and I have sorted it out because that’s our business. Why don’t you stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”

“Because he’s my friend! It’s my job to look out for him!”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t make you his mother. I made a mistake, we worked through it. That should have been the end of it.”

Katara hesitated, glancing at Aang’s saddened face. “I don’t act like I’m his mother.”

“Then you need to get off your high horse and realize that people aren’t perfect.”

With a huff, Katara turned back to the shore. “I’m going home.”

Nobody said anything as they watched her go. When Zuko stepped onto the rocks of the beach, he looked at the others apologetically.

“Sorry, guys. Didn’t mean to ruin the fun.”

Sokka shrugged. “I mean, you had a point.”

“Yeah, Sweetness needed to be knocked down a couple pegs anyway,” Toph said.

Aang stepped up next to him with a smile. “I’m sure she’ll come around.”

Zuko wasn’t sure how to react to the general reassurance he was given. He had thought for sure he had crossed a line and would be asked to leave. There wasn’t a time he could remember when someone was actually on his side of the argument. It brought a warm feeling to his chest.

“I hope I can break through to her,” he said.

The night progressed without Katara. Above the trees, the sun began to rise, showering the sky with pinks and oranges. Aang and Zuko sat atop the cliff. Conversation rose and fell between them, but then Aang began to get fidgety.

“You alright?” Zuko asked.

Aang sat with his knees against his chest, his jacket wrapped around him. He looked at Zuko hesitantly. “Um, actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

Zuko leaned with his arms back. “Go for it.”

When Aang laid his hand atop Zuko’s in the grass, it was shaky. Zuko’s heart nearly burst through his chest.

“S-so I was just wondering if, I don’t know,” his eyes flickered from the ground to Zuko’s, “Maybe you’d want to—”

“Guys! Someone’s coming!” Toph yelled from down below.

Just as they got to their feet, an angry man burst from the trees. “Hey! This is private property! You kids better get the hell out of here before I call the cops!”

They all scattered in different directions, running through the trees like frightened deer. More than a few times, Zuko tripped over roots, needing Aang to untangle him. They all emerged out onto the main street at the same time. Sokka had Toph piggy backed and he and Suki were heaving like they hadn’t run in years.

“What the hell was that!” Sokka yelled. “We’ve never had problems with that spot before!”

Catching his breath, Aang said, “I think that area was recently bought by Lord.” He leaned with his hands on his knees, face in a scowl. “Leave it to them to ruin everything.”

Though he knew he had nothing to do with it, Zuko felt guilty. His father’s company was very thorough with security, so their whole night was probably recorded. Panic hit him as he imagined his father watching him play around. Stop messing around, Zuko, he would say, you’re making me look bad.

“I’m heading home now,” Zuko said, backing away in the direction of his house. “I’ve gotta get cleaned up before work. See you there, Aang.”

Aang’s eyes widened. “Wait—”

He didn’t wait. Lungs burning, he ran all the way back to his room. The horror of his father seeing that footage was deep seated in his stomach. Ozai’s deep, scolding voice echoed in his head in a never ending loop. No, no, he had to calm down. He breathed deeply. The security systems had their own team to look over them. The only reason his father would ever see that recording is if one of the team members recognized Zuko. That in itself was unlikely, considering how his father did his best to keep Zuko away from the public eye after he’d been burned.

Finally, his chest loosened. He collapsed onto his bed, exhausted from his night out. There wasn’t much time to relax, though, because he needed to be at The Jasmine Dragon in thirty minutes.

Iroh was waiting at the door when he arrived at the tea shop. “Where did you go last night?” He asked with a stern expression.

Zuko cringed, not used to being scolded by his uncle. “I went swimming with some friends.”

“Was it with Aang?”

“... Yeah?”

Iroh then smiled. “Oh, that’s fine then,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “I doubt that boy could get into trouble if he tried.”

To save his own ass, Zuko decided not to comment on how untrue that was.

Zuko was seriously regretting his decision to join in on the late night swimming adventure because he was barely making it. He’d spilt tea on three different customers, fell asleep standing against the wall and had written numerous wrong orders. Aang didn’t look any better when he came in.

A little past noon, Zuko was approached at the front counter by a young girl.

“Hello,” she said sweetly.

“Uh, hi. What can I get you?”

“Actually, I’m just here to see you.”

Zuko looked up from his notepad in confusion.

The girl blushed. “I’m Jin. I frequent this place, and I really enjoy it here. I couldn’t help but notice that we go to the same school.”

Dozing as she spoke, Zuko watched Aang laugh with some customers. It brought a slight smile to his own face. It wasn’t until he looked at the girl again that he noticed she was waiting for a response of some sort.

Zuko struggled to come up with something to say. “Oh, uh, yeah,” he mumbled.

Jin beamed at him, slightly bouncing on her toes. “Great!” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Zuko. “That’s my phone number. Thank you so much. I’ve never actually been to a homecoming dance before.”

That made Zuko pause. “Wait, what?”

She giggled. “I’ll see you later. Text me sometime!”

As he watched her go, he gripped the piece of scrap paper in his hand tightly. Aang looked over at him questioningly.

“What’s wrong?” He asked when he walked up with a tray under his arm.

“Uh...” Zuko unfolded the paper and looked at the digits prettily scrawled. “I guess I have a homecoming date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!🥰


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! Lol life hits hard sometimes

“Did you ask her? Do you, like, _like_ her?” Aang asked, staring down at the number from around Zuko’s shoulder.

Zuko shrugged. “She’s the one that asked me. I don’t wanna say I don’t like her. I just met her.” He stuffed the paper into his pocket. “She seems nice enough.”

Aang gripped a tray tightly with both hands as he followed Zuko into the kitchen. “You’re not actually going with her, though, right? There’s nobody else you’d rather go with?”

Again, Zuko shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to turn her down now. She looked so excited.” _And if I can’t go with you, why does it even matter_ , he wanted to say.

Aang sighed and leaned over the counter with his head in his hands. Zuko wanted to reach out and comfort him, but he didn’t understand what the problem was. He steeped a couple cups of tea instead.

“Who are you going to go with?” He asked.

“I’ve decided I’m better off going alone, I guess...” Aang mumbled.

“Oh, sorry to hear that. Did she turn you down?”

“...something like that.”

Maybe he’d been hoping that Zuko wouldn’t have a date and they could hang together instead of going to the dance? That did sound nice, but he didn’t want to back out on this girl he didn’t even know. He nudged him with his elbow. “Hey. Who needs ‘em.”

Aang stood with a sad smile. “Didn’t need ‘em. But I really wanted ‘em.” He walked back out into the dining area without looking at him.

Zuko’s heart stung. Who could turn down a guy like Aang? It just seemed unfathomable. If he had come to Zuko with those eyes and that loving personality, he would have snatched him up in a heartbeat. Apparently, that was only something that could happen in a dream.

When Zuko got home that evening, he decided to borrow his uncle’s old Chevrolet to take a drive. Sometimes feeling the wind on his face helped him think. For most of the time, he was on autopilot as he drove around town. His mind wandered from school to bending and everything in between. Before he realized, he was stopped on the road in front of the South’s home.

Briefly, his eyes flickered to Aang’s house, but they lingered after they spotted him in a window. He was dancing around his room, and although Zuko could only see his silhouette, he knew he was singing along. Chuckling to himself, he climbed out of the car, walked down to the South’s baby blue front door and knocked.

To his relief, the exact person he wanted to see answered the door.

“Katara,” he said.

“Zuko.”

His eyes stayed on her plaid pajama bottoms as he clumsily said, “Hey, so… I just— I’m sorry about yesterday… Do you maybe want to get some ice cream? With me?”

She rose a brow at him.

“My treat.” He smiled. Admittedly, it was pretty awkward.

Katara huffed. Stepping to the side, she slipped on some sneakers. When she was back in the doorway, she slid her hands through her hair to pull it into a ponytail.

“Alright.”

It felt like a victory, and he hadn’t even really talked to her yet. His hands were sweaty on the steering wheel as he drove to a small ice cream shop at the edge of town. Stealing glances at Katara every so often, he wondered what was going through her head. Her hair blew softly in the wind as she leaned against the passenger side door.

They didn’t say anything to each other until they were parked outside the shop with ice cream in their hands. The car looked out onto a field where the sun was setting beautifully.

Tentatively, Zuko spoke. “Thanks for coming.”

Katara nodded, obviously out of her element.

“I know you don’t like me, and I get it. I wouldn’t like me either. I can be brash, oblivious and insensitive. Really, I’m trying to work on it. I didn’t have the best home life, and though that doesn’t give me an excuse, it’s still… difficult. It’s hard to— to just be me. I spent so long trying to shove down my true self that digging it back up is proving to be a pretty big challenge.”

He stole another glance at Katara. She was staring out into the field blankly. Zuko continued, “I’m sorry what I said back at the lake was so harsh. You have every right to be protective of Aang. Especially after how long you’ve known each other. But I also want you to know that I’m going to mess up no matter what. It’s just kinda my thing,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Katara actually cracked a small smile as she looked down into her half empty cup. It was quiet as she processed, but not uncomfortable.

When she did speak, she brought a knee up to her chest. “I’m trying to work on some stuff with myself, too. I’m quick to judge, quick to grudge.” Hesitation seemed to grip her as she thought. “Aang… he’s always been there for me. I’ve always been able to rely on him for anything. Though I was mad at you for what you did, I think I held onto it for so long because part of me wished you’d just disappear. That sounds awful, but Aang and I don’t hang out as much as we used to ever since he found you.” Rolling her eyes, she laughed a bit. “I know why he hangs out with you so much, but I still miss him.”

Zuko’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t realize that I was taking him away.”

“No, it’s okay. Aang can choose whoever he wants to be around. It would definitely help if I was more supportive of you being in our group. We could all be together more often.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been really stressed lately, too. School is hitting hard, and I’m trying to figure out what colleges to apply to. I want to be a nurse.”

“That’s really cool. If anyone can succeed with that, it’s definitely you.”

Katara smiled. Her eyes glimmered when she looked at him. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I also appreciate the ice cream,” she said with a small laugh.

Zuko’s heart felt lighter. “No problem. My uncle says anything is better talked about over food.”

“Smart man.”

“Yeah, he is.”

The drive back was a lot more comfortable. Warm wind caressed their faces as they drove through the night. The overall content atmosphere lulled them. When Katara got out of the car and walked around to her driveway, Zuko stuck his head out the window.

“If you need anything, tell me,” he said. “Believe it or not, I can be decently reliable.”

Katara smirked. “I’ll keep that in mind, Sparky.”

Zuko didn’t wake up the next day until five in the evening. A waste of the day, but at least he felt rested. Uncle had left breakfast in a small plastic bin in the fridge. The note on top said,

_I hope you feel better. Here is your breakfast, whenever you decide to eat it. You have a package on the dining room table._

The phone he had ordered was finally there. As he munched on his food, he set it up. The screen was obscenely bright in the dark kitchen. It didn’t take long before all his data loaded on. He slightly smiled at the screensaver. It was a selfie Aang took when he had stolen his phone in Biology one day.

Zuko decided to text him.

_Hey. Just got my new phone_

_Awesome!! I missed texting you •3•_

_Yeah, same_

_Katara said you guys talked. You cool now?_

_I think so. I’m still going to talk to Haru, though. Will you help me?_

_Sure thing!! I think he has the same lunch as us._

_I’ll show you where he sits, just stick with me baby ;D_

“Baby” caught Zuko off guard. For a fraction of a moment, he allowed himself to think about being in a relationship with Aang. Would he call him baby? A blush emerged on his cheeks when he realized he really hoped he would.

The piece of paper was heavy in his hand as he typed in the number Jin had given him. It wasn’t the first thing he wanted to do, but he texted her anyway.

_Hey. Zuko here_

The response was almost immediate.

_Hi Zuko! I’m glad you messaged me. How are you :)_

_I’m ok. You?_

_Just fine! I bought a dress for the dance today, can’t wait for you to see it_

Zuko sighed.

_Would you want to go for a walk?_

_I’d love to!_

Giving her the park he wanted to meet at, he grabbed his jacket from the rack by the door. The evening was chilly. As he walked, most sounds that he heard were from birds or his sneakers scraping the ground. It wasn’t a long way from his uncle’s house, but Jin was already there when he arrived.

She walked up to him with her hands tucked under her arms. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Quietly, they started down a path that went in about a mile around the local baseball fields.

Now that he was there, Zuko wasn’t sure why he invited her out in the first place. The idea to call off going to the dance together crossed his mind, but he really couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes and do it.

She wasn’t unattractive by any means. The way her fringe bounced as she walked was cute, and her smile was stunning. Not to mention her eyes were a beautiful olive green. But... they weren’t gray.

“So,” Jin began, “Have you always lived around here?”

Small talk. One of Zuko’s worst skills. “Uh, no.” When she looked at him, he rushed to explain. “I moved in with my uncle before the summer.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I moved here about a year ago.”

The silence that ensued grated on his nerves. What was he even doing?

“Listen, Jin,” he said, turning to her. The ground became a good distraction as he talked. “I’m okay with taking you to the dance. I’ve actually never been to homecoming either. I just... I don’t want you hoping for something more from me. It’s nothing to do with you, I just—”

“You’re in love with that other waiter.”

Her words stopped him dead in his tracks. “What?”

Jin shrugged. “Not to be creepy, but I’ve been watching you for a while now. I’ve noticed the way you look at him,” she blew a piece of hair away from her eye when she sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ll admit I was being selfish when I asked you to the dance, but... you just really caught my eye.”

“... Is it that obvious?”

“I can only speak for myself, but yeah. Especially now that you’re telling me you don’t want anything more.”

Zuko rubbed his face with a groan. This had to be one of the most embarrassing moments ever. When he peeked through his fingers at the short girl, his heart clenched at the disappointment on her face. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he gave her a small smile.

“I really do mean that I’ll take you to the dance, though. The least I can give you is a good night.”

She smiled back at him. “Thank you. That’ll at least get my mom off my back about finding a date.”

They walked the path together, talking and laughing the whole way. Zuko was surprisedat how easy she was to talk to. Even though he couldn’t give her what she wanted, he at least hoped they could be friends.

Jin laughed into her hand. “Seriously? Why haven’t you said anything?”

“I don’t know! He’s my first real friend... I don’t want to ruin that by muddling it up with feelings. I know he doesn’t feel the same, so what does it matter if I keep it a secret?”

“How do you know he doesn’t feel the same?”

Zuko combed through his hair. “Because I’m me! Like, I’m... just Zuko. Why would a guy like him want to be with a guy like me?”

Jin sighed with a smirk on her face. “I think you’d be surprised.”

The light from the street lamp above covered them in a soft yellow glow; a beacon of light in an otherwise dark area. The sun had set a while ago, and Zuko felt as though he should start his way back home.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I’ll just have to see. Thanks for walking with me. I should go.” The wind picked up as he jabbed his thumb in the general direction of his house.

“No problem. And hey,” she gently grasped his arm, “Thanks for being honest with me.”

“Of course.”

The next morning was cold. Zuko huddled into his coat as he walked to school, but kept glancing behind his shoulder to check for Aang. The trees above rustled softly in the morning wind.

Nerves coursed through his back as he debated on how he would talk to Haru. He knew nothing about the guy, and Zuko had a hard time making conversation with people he knew nothing about.

Aang didn’t make an appearance until he’d reached the school. The loose fabric of his fleece button down shirt flapped in the wind as he skated over with a small smile on his face.

“Hey,” he said, slowing to a small roll next to Zuko. “Did you finally get some sleep?”

“Yeah. I talked to Jin, too.”

Aang stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked off to the side. “‘Bout what?”

Zuko shrugged. “The dance.”

“Cool.”

There was an awkward air between them. Something about Aang’s attitude threw Zuko off. It was almost a continuation from the last time they saw each other. Though it was his default, maybe he should have stopped expecting things to sort out on their own.

“Are… you okay?”

Aang rose a brow at him. “Yeah? Why?”

“Uh… no reason.” A beat of silence. “So, we’re going to talk to Haru today, right?”

“For sure. I’ll see you then,” the shorter boy said before hopping off his skateboard and ducking into the front doors of the school.

An alarm sounded in Zuko’s head, and he knew he’d done something wrong. It was something that he wondered for the first half of the day, trying to come up with a reason. The only thing he could think of was that what Aang was going to say at the lake was much more important than he’d originally thought. Zuko has forgot to ask about it, and the boy hadn’t brought it up. The skin of his knuckles buzzed where Aang had laid his hand.

When lunch had finally rolled around, Zuko had worked himself up into thinking Aang didn’t like him anymore. It stung in his heart, but he couldn’t shake the feeling. Something important had changed. He just felt like he’d never had that puzzle piece to begin with.

Sulking at the lunch table, he munched on some grapes and waited for Aang to show.

“What’s your problem. You’re more quiet than usual,” Toph said, leaning over the table on her elbows.

Zuko shrugged, but said, “Nothing,” when he realized she couldn’t see it.

At that moment, Aang flopped into the seat across from him. “Hey guys.”

There was a crack in his back when he straightened it, surprised by the boy’s appearance. “Uh, hey.”

Aang opened his lunch box and pulled out his food. He seemed calm, but the energy he gave off was anything but. Zuko could feel his heart race just from looking at him. The silence was pregnant, but no other words came.

Toph’s brow furrowed, gaze on the food in front of her. “Is there something going on with you guys? Another lover’s quarrel perhaps?”

Aang sputtered, face flaming up. “What? Toph, shut up.”

“Oh, come on. You’re still pinin—?”

“So! Zuko, hows your day been?” Aang hurriedly asked, cutting his friend off. She muttered a “rude”, but kept to herself.

“It’s been... fine. You?”

“Good, good.”

Zuko’s heart had skipped a beat at Toph’s lover comment, but he shoved it deep down. Not now. Tapping his fingers on the edge of the table, he asked, “Where does Haru sit?”

Aang nudged his head to the back corner where a good portion of the earthbender population sat. It took him a minute, but he saw the boy sitting at the edge of a table relatively close to them.

“Should we go now or...?”

Shrugging, Aang shoved a cracker into his mouth and tried to speak over it. “Maybe when the bell rings.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Zuko’s grapes suddenly tasted much less sweet as it grew quiet between them again. Aang kept his eyes glued to his phone as he ate, scrolling aimlessly. Taking a chance, Zuko nudged the other boy with his foot to get him to look at him. His eyebrow twitched upward. A silent question.

Aang sighed with a slight red tint to his cheeks. Shoulders hunched, he returned to his phone. Zuko almost assumed he had failed, but then a text came through on his own phone.

_Sorry. Not having the best day_

Zuko tried to give him a sympathetic look, but he refused to look back up at him.

_Do you want to talk about it?_

_I’m not sure..._

_You can tell me anything. I’d never judge you_

His heart swelled when he saw the corner of Aang’s mouth switch up. Before he could stop himself, he messaged,

_I miss your smile_

At that, Aang’s eyes immediately hooked on his, filled with an emotion Zuko couldn’t quite place. That didn’t matter, though, because that wonderful, bashful smile was lifting his cheeks.

_Stop it •\\\\\•_

_Nope. I mean it_

... _thanks_

The rest of their lunch block passed quickly, the tense atmosphere having melted away. Aang babbled on like his usual self and Zuko and Toph listened. When the time came, Zuko packed up his lunch bag, threw out his garbage and timidly made his way over to where Haru sat. Aang trailed a little way behind him for moral support.

Haru rose a brow at him when he sat in front of him. He had been on his phone.

“Uh, hey. I’m Zuko.”

Suddenly, there was a warm smile on Haru’s face, and he set his phone face down on the table. “Oh, you’re one of Katara’s friends, right?”

To his horror, he felt heat creep to his cheeks as he tried to keep the conversation going. “I-I, uh, yeah, we’re— we’re friends.”

Haru nodded his head, and it took Zuko a moment to realize he was waiting for him to continue.

“So, like, homecoming is coming up and it’s a... pretty big thing here? I was just wondering if maybe you’d—”

“Woah, uh, Zuko. You’re cool and all, but I don’t exactly swing that way.”

“No! No, uh, that’s not it!” For some reason, Zuko could not grab hold of composure. “I just, Katara really likes you,” he ended up blurting. His eyes widened when Haru’s face twitched in confusion.

“What he’s trying to say,” Aang said, swooping in like an angel, “Is that you should totally ask Katara to homecoming.”

Haru smiled. “Really? She likes me?”

“Oh, yeah. Totally.”

“Wow... I’ve been thinking about asking her anyway, but now I will for sure!”

“That’s great!” Zuko said. He was quickly dragged away by Aang before he made even more of a fool of himself.

Aang lightly gripped Zuko’s wrist as he pulled him along. “We’ll see you around, Haru!”

“Bye guys!”

Zuko stared at Aang’s hand still on his wrist even when they were in the hallway on their way to Biology. The contact sent warm jitters straight up his arm.

“Um, he was really nice,” Zuko said.

“Yeah, he’s chill.” Aang realized he was still holding Zuko and dropped it swiftly. “Sorry.”

After school, they were immediately approached by Katara. Haru had already asked her to the dance, and she was ecstatic. Apparently, he had mentioned their involvement, so she thanked them for encouraging him. As they walked away from the school, and Sokka and Toph joined them, Katara gave Zuko a full, happy smile that made his heart swell with affection. Relief washed over him as he realized he was finally, officially, in their friend group.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments!!! I wish I was better at going through and responding. Sorry for that. Also, this chapter is kind of short ;-; but a lot happens! Enjoy!

Chapter 7

  
Zuko, stop!” Jin said. She held up her hands to block the splatters of cookie batter from hitting her hair. The sound of her laughter filled Zuko’s kitchen to the brim.

Zuko panicked as the mixer in his hand spun out of control. “I don’t know how!”

Jin lunged over the counter and swiftly flicked the switch. She wheezed as she laughed, laying her head on the cold counter top. “Oh my God. You said you were bad, but I didn’t think you were tragic!”

Zuko’s face flushed, but an amused smile held his cheeks. Jin had texted him after school to see if he would help her bake cookies for the elders at the nearby nursing home. He, not being one to turn people down, begrudgingly accepted. For the record, he gave her a fair warning that he was no good at baking or cooking or anything of the sort, but she shrugged and said it would be a “fun learning experience”. So now, of course, his clothes were blotched with gooey dough. At least he could admit he was having fun.

“I told you!” He said as he wiped his face with a towel. “I’ve never been good at this.”

Through her giggles, Jin said, “Alright, Alright. It’s fine.” She pulled the bowl over to her area of the counter. “I’ll finish.”

Zuko wiped a glob of dough off onto his apron. He debated on if he should clean up, but a ring at the door stopped him. Quickly, he washed his hands in the sink. “Just a minute!” He yelled.

Jin made a joke as he dried his hands and walked to the door, so he was mid laugh when he opened it. It quickly died and was replaced with surprise when he saw Aang on the porch.

“Aang, hey, what’s up?” He said with a dopey smile.

Aang bit his lip and fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater. “Hey, Zuko. Sorry to just show up like this, but I’ve been meaning to—...” His eyes flickered up to look at him for the first time. The state of his clothes caught him off guard. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Zuko!” Jin yelled from the kitchen. “I’m putting the cookies in!”

“Okay!” Zuko turned and yelled back. His eyes softened when they met Aang’s again. “Just making cookies with Jin. You can join us if you want?”

Aang’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he said, “Oh... I’m not sure, I’m pretty shabby at cooking.”

Zuko chuckled and gestured at himself. “We’re on the same page, then. We’re pretty much done, anyway. What did you want to say?”

“Just— just, um, I couldn’t remember what our homework assignment was for Biology. Could you remind me?”

Zuko frowned. “We didn’t have an assignment tonight. They’re playing the homecoming game right now, so the teachers didn’t bother.” He watched how Aang’s cheeks reddened. “Is that really what you wanted to ask me?”

Aang cleared his throat. “Yup! So, thanks. I’ll... let you get back to your date or whatever.”

“It’s not really a date,” Zuko said.

Aang inched back down his front steps quickly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll see you later.”

Zuko stood frozen in the doorway, shocked at how fast his friend had run off. Closing the door softly, he leaned back against it. What was that?

Jin appeared around the corner. “Who was it?” She asked.

“Aang...”

“Did you confess your undying love?”

Zuko sighed, tugging a hand through his hair. “No, but... I’m starting to get the feeling that I should.”

“Yeah? That’s good.”

“I’m not so sure. He’s been skittish around me lately. I think he might know or have suspicions. Maybe if I just tell him outright and get rejected, we can go back to normal.”

Jin scoffed. “Normal? From what you’ve told me, it doesn’t sound like you’d be able to go back to any normal.” She looked him up and down. “And please, stop being so sure he’d reject you. Have you ever considered that you’re just really dense when it comes to this stuff?”

Crossing his arms, Zuko thought about it. Truthfully, that was entirely possible. He never really had the ability of awareness when it came to other’s feelings. For instance, when his sister’s friend Mai had a crush on him. He hadn’t realized until she kissed him.

For the rest of the evening, Zuko was stuck in his head. Jin had left hours ago when he finally laid in his bed. Every moment he’d ever had with Aang fluttered through his brain like a movie. Every lip bite, every laugh, every lingering look Zuko had chalked up to some kind of platonic friendliness— how hadn’t he seen it sooner? Heart pounding, he remembered the night at the lake. Aang’s hand on his; softness in his eyes. Suddenly those fond looks he’d been given turned into something else. They became what they truly were. Longing.

Zuko slapped a hand to his forehead in the dark, interrupting the silence of the night.

“I’m such an idiot.”

  
The next day was the day of the dance. The whole school was buzzing with excitement. Even Zuko felt his heart race when he thought about that night, but it wasn’t for the dance. It was his newfound determination to tell Aang how he felt.

To his annoyance, the day dragged on. Every time he made eye contact with Aang, he felt like his heart would burst. The other boy was acting relatively normal, which eased Zuko’s nerves greatly.

There was a slight bounce to his step as he walked home with a smile on his face. Jin texted him.

_Make sure you’re ready to take pictures when you pick me up! Mom is incredibly excited_

_Gotcha._

It took him much too long to get dressed. Embarrassment ached in his chest as his uncle fawned over his suit and fixed any wrinkles he saw. “Uncle, please.”

Iroh chuckled. “I’m sorry! It’s not every day I get to see you all dressed up like this,” he said, taking a few pictures of Zuko in the kitchen.

“Uncle, I... I think I’m going to tell Aang how I feel tonight.”

Iroh paused, face surprised. He’d almost missed the words because they were spoken so softly. “Really?”

Zuko let out a jittery breath. “Yeah.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! That poor boy has been lovestruck for as long as I’ve known him.”

“What? Seriously? Why— why didn’t you say anything?”

“That isn’t my place. I knew you two would work it out eventually.”

Though he’d been fairly certain he’d come to the right conclusion, having his uncle confirm it gave him the extra confidence boost he needed.

When he arrived at Jin’s house in his uncle’s car, she was already standing on the porch waving to him. She was gorgeous. Light makeup, updo, simple cream dress— it all looked lovely on her. Her smile was brilliant as he approached. If Zuko’s heart hadn’t been so preoccupied with another, he was sure it would have belonged to her.

“Thanks for coming. My mom will be out soon,” she said.

“Sure.”

Jin giggled. “You seem so nervous,” she said, laying a hand on his arm. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

Nodding, Zuko thanked her for encouraging him. She’d been ecstatic when he told her he was going to confess.

Jin’s mother was a pleasant, soft spoken woman with white-streaked brown hair and a loving smile. She gushed about how handsome Zuko was, and it was hard for him to keep his composure. After a couple photos where they awkwardly stood near each other, they began the short drive to the school.

The parking lot was filled, so they found parking in the grass on the side of campus. Zuko held Jin’s hand to help her navigate through the mushy ground in her heels. They laughed at each other’s stumbling.

Warm air hit them as they walked into the gymnasium. The lights were dim, illuminating everything in red, blue and purple. Music beat steadily in Zuko’s ear, threatening to give him a headache with its aggression. Bodies moved on the dance floor.

“Zuko!” A voice in the distance said.

He looked over to see Sokka waving a hand to him. Waving back, he said to Jin, “Those are my friends. Would you like to meet them?”

Jin smiled happily, gripping his arm a little tighter. “Of course!”

Now, Zuko typically wasn’t one to notice people aesthetically, but he couldn’t help but realize how gorgeous everyone in his friend group was as he walked up to their circle table. Katara’s deep purple dress sat snug against her body as she leaned against Haru, having an animated conversation with the man.

Toph had let her hair down from her usual bun, and it sat in waves across her shoulder. Instead of a dress, she had opted for a grey suit that fit her quite well— personally and physically.

Sokka and Suki had a matching color scheme of red and yellow. The colors accentuated their sharp features. Suki gave him one of her sweet smiles as he approached them.

“Hey, guys. This is Jin. She’s my date for the night,” Zuko said, trying to project his voice over the loud music.

They all greeted her, some giving each other confused looks— mostly directed towards Aang. Zuko’s heart skipped a beat when his eyes landed on the other boy. Something about the way the colored lights hit his grey eyes gave them an intensity he wasn’t prepared for. The orange dress shirt gently hugged his figure, tucking into high waisted, black dress pants.

“H-hey,” Zuko said to him.

If Aang’s cheeks were their usual rosy color, Zuko wasn’t able to see it because of the lights.

“Hey. It’s about time you made it,” Aang joked. “You look nice.”

Zuko’s heart fluttered. “Thank you.”

For most of the evening, they were seated at the table chatting and laughing. Zuko had a hard time keeping his eyes off Aang who sat to his right. Everything he did made him adore him even more, and it was all building to a point in his chest. By the time their friends expressed their want to dance, the night was well underway.

Jin smiled as she tugged Zuko from his chair. “C’mon! Let’s dance.”

“I don’t really dance,” he said.

Aang laughed and gave him a small push from his chair. “Oh, yeah he does. He’s just shy.”

Zuko glared at his smirking face and allowed himself to be dragged away. The dance floor was crowded and hot. Suffocating almost. His hands sat on Jin’s waist lightly while hers connected behind his neck. She looked at him with a faint smile.

“I really appreciate you bringing me. You totally could have just blown me off,” she said.

Zuko glanced to the side bashfully. “It’s no problem.”

They swayed together for a while, simply listening to the music. At some point, Jin laid her head on his shoulder. It was a foreign intimacy, but he quickly adjusted to the pressure and heat of another body.

When Zuko looked over to their table, he saw that Aang was sitting alone with a forlorn air about him. A quick glance to the buffet table revealed where Toph had slipped off to. Briefly, Aang and Zuko’s eyes met. The boy then got up from his seat and swiftly walked out of the gym with his hands in his pockets.

Jin noticed his distraction. She stepped away and patted his shoulder. “I think I’ve hogged you enough for tonight. Go talk to him.”

Zuko frowned. “Are you sure? I don’t want to ditch you like that.”

She giggled, playfully shoving him towards the exit. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll go find my friends and drive home with them.”

He couldn’t help but feel bad for wanting to leave her, but the need to talk to Aang was practically pulling him away. “Thank you, Jin.”

“Of course. Let me know if you need anything.”

With a nod, Zuko turned and left the gym. The night was chilly and its wind tousled his hair lightly. Compared to the deafening music inside, the silence was an oasis. His pace was slightly rushed as he looked for Aang. He couldn’t have gotten too far.

Jogging around the perimeter of the campus, he finally saw a figure sitting on a hill next to the school. As he got closer and he saw the vibrant orange of his shirt, relief flooded through his veins. The grass wasn’t as mushy in that area, so he didn’t have to worry as much about trashing his shoes. He slowly inched up to his friend.

“Aang?”

The boy jumped, head whipping around. He immediately relaxed when he recognized him. “Oh. Hey? Shouldn’t you be dancing?”

Zuko shrugged and sat down next to him. The moon was full, shining down on them with a blue hue. They sat in silence for a while; the only sound came from the rise and fall of their chests.

Finally, Aang spoke. “I just want to say sorry for being weird lately.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“I do though. The way I’ve been distancing myself isn’t fair to you, so I’m sorry,” he said, pulling his knees up to his chest. Next, he mumbled, “You and Jin look really good together.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed...”

Aang huffed a short laugh. “I’m glad you found someone like her. She seems great.”

“She’s pretty cool...” Zuko said slowly, something dawning on him. Quickly, he looked to Aang and said, “You don’t think we’re dating do you?”

Confusion scrunched the other boy’s face. “What? You are though, right?”

Zuko chuckled and scooted closer a tad. It didn’t go unnoticed. “No, we’re not. I told her I didn’t want anything more than to go to this dance with her. It was pretty much a favor, but we became friends, too.”

“Why didn’t you want anything more?” Aang asked. Turning himself, he discreetly leaned towards Zuko. His eyes looked up into his with an almost doe-y feel, lip slightly scraped by his teeth.

Zuko’s heart beat in his throat as he took in all the signals Aang was sending him. Had it always been like this? Were his signs always that obvious? Zuko desperately wanted to say it wasn’t, even if to save face, but thinking back... yeah. It had been. The only thing in his way of having Aang was himself.

“I’ve had someone else in mind for a while...” he said. He could hear the subtle intake of breath from the boy so close to him.

“Yeah? Who?” By that point, Aang’s eyes were half lidded, staring up at him.

The corner of Zuko’s mouth twitched upward. “I think you might know him.”

Aang giggled softly, quickly so that he didn’t miss a moment. His eyes flashed down to Zuko’s lips as he leaned forward; slow and tentative. Asking for permission.

Zuko leaned, too. The sound his heart made— he felt sure that Aang could hear it. Their faces were barely inches apart, holding their hesitance for the time being. Finally, Aang closed the gap and slipped his lips onto Zuko’s softly.

For a moment, they just stayed like that. Zuko began to move, slowly pushing and pulling his mouth over Aang’s. Inhaling sharply, Aang’s hands fisted into the taller boy’s jacket. Zuko gently cupped the side of his face before moving deeper, brushing his tongue along his lower lip. He flinched, but opened his mouth to welcome the other boy in.

They were a mess of passion and trepidation. Unsteady hands gripped at each other, neither of them well versed in the realm of making out. Aang pulled back for a moment, slightly panting, but immediately dove back in when he met Zuko’s eyes.

Their session tapered off into small pecks before stopping completely. Grey locked on golden brown until Aang looked down with a breathless laugh and a deep blush.

“This feels like a dream,” he said.

Zuko chuckled. Gently, he pulled Aang into a warm hug. “Tell me about it.”


End file.
